Yogi must resign: Why students protesting against CAA-NRC and related violence wrote to UP Governor

The Jamia Coordination Committee that was formed after the police brutality at the institute on December 15, called for a gherao of the UP Bhawan on Friday, around 3 pm, demanding the resignation of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and held him responsible for the alleged police excesses against those protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Among other demands, the JCC has asked the UP government to restore the damages caused during the violence at the educational institutions across the state, especially Banaras Hindu University and the Aligarh Muslim University. They have put forward several demands through a memorandum addressed to the UP Governor Anandiben Patel.

The JCC in their memorandum has demanded that a number of rupees one crore as compensation should be provided to kin of the deceased and the state government should provide job opportunities to a family member of the same. "An amount of Rs 25 lakhs as compensation to those who have victims of police brutality across the state. Unconditional release of all the political prisoners who have been implicated in false and fabricated cases. Detaching the seized properties of the locals across the state which has been illegally withheld," the memorandum added. They also want the UP government to restore the internet facilities that have been suspended across numerous districts in the state to curb the effects of the ongoing protests. The JCC has stated that it is a clear violation of the citizens' fundamental rights.

"The protests triggered severe repression in which more than 20 people have been killed, more than 5400 have been taken unlawfully taken into custody, 21,000 people have fabricated cases filed against them, and properties of at least 67 innocents have already been practically seized. The excuse of protests turning violent is nothing but a thin veil over the communal agenda of the state government, as UP CM Ajay Bisht aka 'Yogi Adityanath' confirmed when he said there will be "revenge" against protestors. The crackdown began with AMU, from where 250 people are still missing and where heavy armed forces deployment continues. BHU has witnessed the arrest of 70 students of which only a handful have been released till now. Videos have come out showing police firing and a brutal state-sponsored crackdown on civilians, creating a situation of undeclared emergency," the JCC said in their official statement, stating these as the reasons for the call for their gherao.

UP is the worst-affected state by the protests against the CAA with violence erupting mainly in more than 12 districts, including Lucknow, Firozabad, Muzaffarnagar, Rampur, Meerut, Bulandshahr and Bahraich. Over 25 people have been killed so far — at least 14 victims are Muslims who died of bullet injuries from firearms allegedly fired by the police in UP. In at least two cases, the police themselves have admitted to firing in 'self-defence'.

The JCC had also called upon students and other organisations to join the gherao of UP Bhawan on Friday. The National Young India Co-ordination and Campaign Committee, which was formed by student organisations and unions on December 24 with an aim to fight together against the CAA-NRC-NPR, also joined the gherao. Over 60 student and youth organisations, including student unions, student-youth movements from public and private universities such as IITs, state universities, civil society and others are a part of the Young India Co-ordination and Campaign Committee in order to enhance the scope and impact of the protests across the country.