AMU Violence: Allahabad High Court Directs UP Police Chief To Act Against Officers Who Caned Students, Broke Vehicles

The Allahabad High Court on Monday, February 24, directed the Uttar Pradesh DGP to take necessary action against the cops who damaged motorcycles and caned students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest in December 2019. The judgement comes after the Allahabad High Court put a stay on recovery notice issued seeking compensation for damaging public property during the rally.

The two-judge bench comprising of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Samit Gopal was hearing a petition filed by Mohammad Aman Khan alleging police brutality on students. The court had asked the National Human Rights Commission to probe the allegations last month.

The NHRC in its report had asked for directions to the UP government to provide compensation to students who were seriously injured in police brutality on December 15, 2019, during an anti-CAA protest inside the campus.

The report also sought directions to the Uttar Pradesh Police Director-General to identify and take action against errant cops who were seen caning students, in CCTV footage produced before the court.

The highlight of the report was the recommendations on the conduct of police forces in riot scenarios. "The police force, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Rapid Action Force (RAF) should be sensitised, and special training modules must be carried out to inculcate professionalism in handling such crisis situations while at the same time, respecting the human rights of civilians also," the report said.

The state Director General of Police (DGP) was directed by the court to ensure that proper investigation was conducted into all related cases on merit and in a time-bound manner by the special investigation team (SIT).

The concerned officers have been given time till next hearing on March 25 to comply with the order and file a compliance report.

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