Condemn the police brutality: SFI comrades assaulted, injured and detained along with other students

Students Federation of India (SFI) unequivocally condemns the brutal use of violence deployed by the Delhi Police on students and youth who were peacefully protesting at Jantar Mantar, to demand the resignation of the Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. The President of the Uttar Pradesh State Committee of SFI, Abdul Wahab was injured along with Mukesh, Vice President, SFI UP. The wrist of Comrade Samir from Haryana also got fractured in the assault. Comrades Anshil, Zaid, Amit and Durgesh from Delhi were severely injured. State Secretary of DYFI Delhi, Aman Saini was also injured in the police assault. SFI All India Vice President Com. Satyesha Leuva and other female comrades were brutally lathi charged and manhandled by Delhi Police. Men in civil clothes, without wearing a name badge, calling themselves police officials forcefully assaulted female protestors while the female officers watched. In addition to the injured, many of our comrades were detained including Comrade Gopika (Vice President, JNUSU), Comrade Sharanya (Former Treasurer, AUDSC), Comrade Sakhi, from Delhi University and Comrade Yashita, from Delhi.

In an outrageous attempt to break the movement, the police fired tear gas at innocent protestors without any provocation. Lathi charge was used as a method to remove students from the protest site. The Delhi Police also targeted innocent civilians outside the protest site which affected even infants.

The fact that Delhi Police resorted to the use of violence on peaceful protesters, shows the level of insecurity that the current government feels because of its acts. For over a month, students and youth have been protesting across the country against the widespread corruption that led to the leaking of the NEET paper. These leaks resulted in the death of atleast 20 innocent students who were forced to commit suicide because of the acts of this government.

The NEET paper leaks are just one of the links in the long chain of actions that the Modi regime has taken to destroy the Education Sector in India. One of the initial steps included the handover of major entrance examinations to NTA in a bid to centralise the education system of a country as diverse as India. Every year, we are witnessing an increasing number of instances of paper leaks taking place across the country. The government doesn't only hold moral responsibility for these leaks, but there is evidence to suggest that it is also complicit.

The current student and youth protest happening in Delhi, is unprecedented in its size and character. If the BJP government thinks that it can suppress these protests with the use of violence, it is mistaken. We will not take an inch back, till the man responsible for the loss of more than 20 innocent lives is brought to justice.

The fight against the paper leaks is a part of the broader fight to save public education in India. SFI will organise students across the nation against this blatant onslaught of Indian education sector. In the coming days SFI calls for the student community to come together in protest in every state and demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, through our all India protest call. We will fight it until victory.

Released by
Adarsh M. Saji (President, SFI)
Srijan Bhattacharyya (General Secretary, SFI)