Police boots kicked her stomach: JNU students' horrifying account of Delhi Police violence to end march

Preeti Umarao was in no position to talk when we reached out to her over the phone. A PhD scholar in JNU, her mind was conscious enough to know what was going on, but her body was too tired to pick up her mobile phone and talk. "She was admitted to the hospital yesterday night. The doctors are suspecting a few internal injuries," says her friend who was with her at the hospital.

Preeti is one of the students who were brutally beaten up by the Delhi police on Monday. The students were marching towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan, protesting against the university's new proposed fee hike. "She was dragged along the road during the march and the police kicked her stomach with their boots multiple times," says her friend.

An SFI activist, she was playing the tambourine, when the police reportedly thrashed her and snatched the musical instrument. "She has scars and bruises on her right hand, left leg and back. The doctor says that there is free fluid in her abdomen area," says Preeti's friend. "There were internal injuries too. He now says that he suspects a haemorrhage and asked us to get a CT scan. We hope there's no organ damage," she says.

A video of JNUSU General Secretary Satish Yadav being dragged by the police had gone viral yesterday. The video also shows him getting kicked by police officers multiple times. "This was the second round of police violence on the same day. They beat us up without any provocation," says Satish. "The police had tied a rope, preventing us from crossing Bhikaji Cama Place. That was where the initial lathi-charge occurred. The students were separated into two groups then. We reassembled after 30 minutes and marched peacefully for about 50 metres when the police started beating up the students again," he says.

Their account of what happened next is downright scary. "A few minutes later, I saw four police officials beating up a girl. I had gone to rescue her. That was when they started beating me up," says Satish, who managed to get his forearm injured. Another video from the march also shows JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh being manhandled by the Vasant Kunj police. Students also say that five women students were isolated in a police bus and were manhandled by around 10 policemen.

Previously, the JNUSU's march to the parliament also turned violent, when the police beat up the protesting students. In response to the violence, parliamentarians have called for the Lok Sabha to be adjourned.