Hundreds of students of Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University were stranded with no place to go when the administrations closed the university hostels, owing to the protests and police violence. Of them, the students from Kerala, however, consider themselves the luckiest of the lot, as Kerala House, the state government's official mission in Delhi offered them refuge.
Sources from Kerala House tells us that it has accommodated more than 70 students from both universities combined. Around 10 of them have left for their homes in Kerala, while others are preparing for their journey back home. This morning, we caught up with Mohammed Hashil, an AMU student from Kozhikode, who is currently residing in a dormitory in Travancore House.
Hashil tells us that around 15 students are currently in Travancore House. While a couple of them are from JMI, a majority are from AMU. "We reached Delhi on Monday night via a UPSRTC bus. The university proctor had made arrangements, ensuring that we reach Delhi safely. We are really thankful to Kerala house for providing us with food and accommodation," he says.
However, the students are tensed as they do not know of the whereabouts of fellows students in AMU. "The attack was unexpected. A lot of students got injured by the tear gas. Three of them were critical. We also heard that one of them died. It isn't confirmed though," he says, adding that the protest was peaceful. "We did not even cross the barricade. That was when the police fired tear gas. We did not have the time or space to run away," he says.
He also suspects that the police entered the campus upon the Vice Chancellor's and the registrar's insistence. "All of us have decided to not go back to AMU until the VC and the registrar resign," Hashil tells us. "Our protest was to save India and the Indian constitution. NRC and CAA are against the constitution. We will always protest these acts. We aren't scared," he says.
