NEW DELHI: Many students from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) have moved in with locals and in mosques in Zakir Nagar, Ghaffar Manzil, Jama Masjid and state bhawans. Imam Mohibullah Naqvi of Jama Masjid said that as soon as he heard about the police action inside the campus, he opened the doors of the mosque to the students.
“The attack on students of this country is an attack on the future of this country. It is unacceptable. I opened door for students irrespective of which religion they belong to, in this masjid where I stay,” Naqvi told this newspaper.
Many students also took shelter in Kerala Bhawan and Travencore House.
“We were not able to leave initially as there was a crackdown-like situation but then the girls from our state were feeling unsafe in the hostels on Sunday evening, so we vacated the hostel with them,” a Mass Communication student from Kerala, Shibili told this newspaper.
The Morning Standard also got in touch with two locals who had offered accommodations to students from Kerala and Kashmir.
While they refused to speak about the arrangements, it was learnt that the girls from Kerala have been facilitated to return home while the girls from Kashmir were also in process of heading back home.
The students from AMU who stayed back at Kerala House narrated their horrific ordeal inside the AMU campus on Sunday evening.
“We were in the library when the news about violence at Jamia broke. A protest was organised and in no time around 5,000 people gathered but the police turned things upside down in no time. Around 150 students were injured. Next morning, we were asked to vacate immediately,” said Wasih KK, a student.
The students were in touch with Kerala MP, E T Mohammad Basheer who arranged their stay in Delhi.
“The difference between AMU and JMI is that the administration supported the students in the latter case while in our case the administration is hand-in-glove with the police,” said one of the AMU student, Farheen.