AMU Fact Finding

1. Preliminary Fact Finding Report into the
events of 15
th
and 16
th
December 2019 at
AMU
Introduction
A three member fact-finding team comprising of Adv Aman Khan (HRLN), Adv
Fazal (HRLN) and Adv Fawaz Shaheen (Quill Foundation) reached AMU at
around 4 in the morning on 16-12-19. We entered the campus from the
University Circle side through the main university gateBab-e-Syed . The first
sight which greeted us was a massive contingent of armed forces,
comprising mainly of RAF but also including local police, spread in large
groups right from university circle andBab-e-Syed to chungi gate. The right
side gate ofBab-e-Syed was lying to one side (we saw it being welded back
together when we were leaving later in the evening) and there were barricades
at every intersection inside the campus. Quite strangely, a small tractor was
picking up bikes parked around the university and throwing them onto a truck
parked in front of the Maulana Azad Library, on the main university road. (the
vehicles belonged to students, which were vandalised by armed forces during
their aggravated violence)
We had detailed open ended conversations with a number of students in their
hostels (individual and groups), victims admitted in the Jawaharlal Nehru
Medical College (JNMCH) and their attendants, student leaders, admin staff
at the medical college, university security guards and faculty administrators
of two residential halls. Most people we spoke to were apprehensive of
speaking on the record for fear of reprisals, both at the hands of the university

2. as well as the district administration. Therefore, we have decided not to
reveal any names in this brief report. What follows is a brief reconstruction of
the events through the narratives gathered in our conversation that seems to
have taken place in the fateful intervening night of 15
th
and 16
th
December
2019.
Summary of incidents
At around 7:30 pm on 15-12-2019 students in AMU started gathering at the
Library Canteen to continue their peaceful protest against the CAA. A
peaceful procession of students chanting started moving along the university
road towards the main gateBab-e-Syed , which is the ordinary spot of protest
in the University. A heavy contingent of local police and Rapid Action Force
was deployed at the University Circle who started moving towardsBab-e-Syed
when they saw the procession at the gate. The heavily armed forces
reportedly started abusing students trying to provoke them towards violence.
One of the common provocative abuse from armed forces was “bahar aao
madarch*** ”. At around 8 pm the police and RAF armed forces started firing
tear gas shells, rubber bullets, stun grenades, pellets and other kinds of
explosive weapons into the crowd inside the gate. According to a few
accounts they were even pelting stones at the crowd. The students were
pushed back and fearing for their safety, they started hiding in nearby
buildings such as Guest house no.2 and 3. The situation did not demand any
further intervention as the protest had dispersed and students were hiding in
buildings. However, at around 10 PM, the police and armed forces started to
break the iron gate ofBab-e-Syed .
After entering the university gate, armed forces started brutal lathi-charge
accompanied with massive amounts of firing of tear gas shells, rubber bullets

3. and pellets. According to all the students interviewed who were present at the
site (mostly hiding in nearby buildings), even after the first round of lathi
charge and firing of massive amounts of tear gas, rubber bullets and pellets,
the unarmed students along with Proctor kept demanding the armed forces to
step outside university campus. However, the armed forces started entering
into the nearby buildings where the students were hiding. The nearby
buildings such as Guest house no. 2 and 3 along with the mosques were
raided by police and RAF and all the unarmed students (estimated 12-15)
were heavily lathi-charged. The buildings were also bombarded with tear gas
shelling which led to suffocation and unconsciousness of several students.
The students trying to save themselves from the effect of tear gas tried to
throw the shelling away. The police and RAF were using deceptive shelling
which would blow up the hands of students when picked up. One student
blew up his hand in process and was admitted to ICU ward in JNMC where his
hand was amputated. Students we spoke to in different halls of residence
reported being in touch with them till about 11-11:30, at which point they were
taken and detained by the police.
The police and RAF then moved towards the boys hostels on Aftab Hall road
where armed forces fired indiscriminate tear gases. They particularly targeted
Sir Syed North Hostel and fired stun grenades and tear gases over its closed
gates. Another surprising yet horrific act by the armed forces was vandalizing
the bikes and other vehicles belonging to students who had left them on
parked on road.
The clearest evidence of disproportionate and extraordinary use of force with
malafide intent by the police can be found from the incidence that took place
at room no. 46 of Morrison Court hostel. The hostel included many students
who were not even part of the protests. One crucial notable incident took

4. place in Morrison Court hostel where armed forces forcefully entered by
brutally thrashing the gate guard (later admitted) and then firing the tear
gases. Shockingly, the armed forces then cut the window fence of Room no.
46, shattered glass window and fired tear gas in the room from point blank
range. As a result, room caught fire and the three students who were in the
room but not even part of protest came out in semi conscious stage. Armed
forces then brutally assaulted those students and one Syed Mohammad
Mehdi Rizvi is missing since then. (Brother of Mehdi Rizvi was later
circulating appeal pamphlets seeking help).The two other students remain
unidentified.
Medical Emergencies
In total, the team could estimate that around 60 students suffered varying
degree of injuries and trauma and had to run to the emergency including three
who were in critical medical condition and remained in the ICU. The three
critically injured students included (1) a student whose right hand had to be
amputated because an unidentified explosive similar to a tear-gas grenade
exploded in his hand, (2) a student who was suffering repeated seizures due
to being hit on the head with a lathi and (3) a student who was shot by a
rubber bullet in the head.
The rest of the students were given first aid and sent back to their rooms.
Among these were many who were actually suffering from serious injuries but
were sent back from the hospital merely because the injuries weren’t
life-threatening. The team met a few of these students, including one who had
a relatively similar injury caused by an explosive, and one whose leg was
severely hurt due to stone-pelting by the police. The hospital authorities
refused to share with us any exact numbers or details, and the students only

5. spoke to us on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. There was a
particularly widespread fear that anyone who speaks up will be charged under
NSA.
Missing/Detained students
A large number of students were found to be missing or suspected to be
detained. However, neither the university nor the district administration gave
any details regarding missing or detained students. The team was given
scattered information regarding missing or detained students by their friends
and hostel mates. We also received unconfirmed reports that 22-25 injured
students were detained at Malkhan Singh hospital in the Rasal Ganj area of
Aligarh. By afternoon the team also received unconfirmed reports that the
detainees had been taken to 4 different police stations, including Civil Lines,
Gandhi Park, Khair and Tappal. Overall, a situation of anxiety and suspicion
prevailed all over the campus regarding the missing students, along with
apprehensions of their being victim of untoward incidents. Given below at the
end of the report is a tentative list of names currently reported to the team.
However, it must be reiterated that the list is by no means comprehensive and
many more students are suspected missing or detained.
Pressure to vacate campus
On 16-12-19 the university administration announced winter vacations with
immediate effect. By afternoon, officials from the university were strongly
urging students to vacate their hostels, which is contrary to general practice
during vacations at AMU. Pressure from the university coupled with the
environment of fear created by brutal police action the previous night has
resulted in a virtual exodus of students from the campus by late

6. afternoon/evening.
Conclusion
The entire incident is a shocking display of police brutality and impunity in the
face of peaceful democratic protests by AMU students. The police actions
seem not only brutal but also vindictive motivated by a desire to ‘show
students their place’. All witnesses we spoke to recalled the police was
hurling insults and abuses of a rabidly communal nature at the students and
the university at large. These communal abuses were being shouted even
before they lathi-charged the protest, and only intensified as they moved
further into the university, targeting individual students with their lathis, tear
gas shells, rubber bullets and pellets. At the first instance, it seems clear that
the large scale violence carried out by the police and RAF forces was
excessive, brutal and completely disproportionate to the stated objective of
breaking up a protest. And the culpability for this large scale violence against
peaceful students lies with the police and RAF as well as the university
administration which allowed them in. The actions of the police in particular
violate all norms and standards of conduct in dealing with students
democratic right to freedom of expression and association, and with the
basic right to demand for rights.
List of Students Reportedly Missing/Detained
The following is a list of students reportedly missing since the
night of 15-12-2019. The following list has been compiled based
on reports from friends and hostel mates who reached out to us.
Most of these students are assumed to have been detained, but
there is no means any certainty. It must also be noted that the list
is neither exhaustive nor comprehensive.

7. S.N
o
Name Course/Hall Last seen
1 Syed Mohammed
Mehdi Rizvi + 2
unidentified
students
MSc. Statistics /
Morrison Court
His room (46
Morrison Court) was
set on fire by police
action and all three
students in the room
were beaten up
detained. No
subsequent news.
2 Mohammed
Aaquib
S/o Intazar
Ahmad Siddique,
B.Lib /
Macdonnell,
Resident of
Room No. 13,
Aftab Hall
3 Gulzar M.Tech Civil
Engineering
Unconfirmed reports
that he was detained
at Malkhan Singh
hospital, Rasal Ganj
4 Zeeshan Went to find his bike
and did not return.

8. 5 Abdul Mannan Last seen hiding in
washroom of Guest
House no.2
6 Abdul Rehman
s/o MS Siddiqui
Ph: 8533935902
BA 3rd yr Unconfirmed reports
that he is detained in
Civil Lines thana
7 Junaid Amir r/o
Bareily
VM Hall Confirmed to be in
Banna Devi thana
Aligarh
8 Tariq Alam B.A. Economics
2nd yr / MM Hall
9 Shahbaz Alam r/o
Kishanganj
16 yr child who
had come to
prepare for 11th
entrance exams
and was staying
with a relative
10 Umar Shams

9. 11 Wasif
12 Mohammad Adil
r/o Bijnor
BA (Arabic) 2nd
yr / SS North
13 Raza Azhari r/o
Mubarakpur,
Azamgarh
PhD Persian 2nd
yr / Morrison
Court
14 Abdul Mabood
s/o Abdullah
B.Tech 3rd yr
(chemical)
15 Mohd Junaid
Ameer s/o Jalees
Ahmed
BA 3rd / VM Hall
16 Abdul Munam s/o
Abdul Mabood,
age - 23
BTech Confirmed to be in
Banna Devi PS
17 Shahid Hussain History Dept /
Morrison Court

10. 18. Tazeem B.R Ambedkar
Hostel
19. Asjad 2nd year, BA LLB
(Hons)
20 Arshi, r/o
Lucknow
Confirmed to be in
Banna Devi PS
21 Ashutosh MM Hall Confirmed to be in
Banna Devi PS
22 Employee of AMU
Electricity
Department + 1
more detainee
whose name
could not be
confirmed
Confirmed to be in
Banna Devi PS