Students, alumni from Mumbai's KC College express solidarity with Jamia, DU, AMU students

Students and alumni of mass media department of KC College here expressed solidarity with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Delhi University (DU) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) who are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

In a letter, the KC College students condemned on what they called "violence" and alleged "brutality" by the policemen against the students at JMI, DU and AMU and civilians from across the country who were protesting against the "unconstitutional" CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"The Constitution of India safeguards every citizen's right to protest. However, there have been coordinated attempts to mute dissenting voices in educational campuses and a systematic attack on the freedom of expression of students and members of the academia. The right to dissent is integral to the functioning of a democracy, and student politics, in particular, are essential to shaping the future of the country," the letter said.

The students and alumni condemned the use of violence, gun firing and teargas shells on the protestors.

"We are gravely concerned by emerging reports of police forces entering women's hostels and sexually assaulting female students, of students who were shot and illegally detained by force, of hostel rooms set on fire to force students out of the safe space of their campuses, and of students whose whereabouts are currently unknown," they said.

The students demanded that the protestors should be given immediate medical attention and urged all police forces to "withhold any further acts of violence against protestors, and that internet blockages be lifted so a better understanding of the on-ground situation can be assessed".

Protests intensified across the country after several students were left injured after a protest against the new citizenship law turned violent in Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia area on Sunday.

The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.