“This is a coward government”: Priyanka Gandhi condemns police crackdown on Jamia students

Indian opposition leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called the ruling BJP government “coward” after clashes between the Delhi police and students of Jamia Millia Islamia University over controversial citizenship law that unfairly targets Muslims.

“The police is entering universities and thrashing students. At a time when this government should come forth and listen to the people, the BJP government is oppressing students and journalists in the northeast, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. This is a coward government,” she tweeted in Hindi.

Ms Gandhi said the voice of the youth cannot be suppressed. “This government is scared of the voice of the public. It wants to stifle the youth of this country with its dictatorship,” she added.

Her tweet came after police launched a brutal crackdown on Jamia students.

The police used batons and teargas on students, later barged into the university and detained around 100 students.

According to NDTV, the protests soon spread to the Aligarh Muslim University, where students who wanted to hold a solidarity march, clashed with the police. Internet has been blocked in the city and the university closed till January 5.

In a tweet, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condemned the violence. “Spoke to Hon’ble LG and urged him to take all steps to restore normalcy and peace. We are also doing everything possible at our end. Real miscreants who caused violence shud be identified and punished,” a second tweet read.