The All India Students Association (AISA) in the Jamia Milia Islamia were detained and allegedly manhandled by the Delhi Police while protesting during the 17th anniversary of the Batla House encounter on Friday, September 19.
The march, “Insaf Mashaal Juloos,” was held from the Central Canteen to Gate No 7 of Jamia Millia Islamia.
According to AISA Jamia president Mishkat, the administration handed over protesting students to the Delhi Police and several were dragged out of the premises and turned over to the authorities.
Mishkat alleged she was manhandled by the male guards at the university. In response to the crackdown, students raised “Sharam Karo sharam karo! Delhi Police down down!” slogans, Maktoob Media reported.
AISA said that the Jamia Nagar Police Station and nearby stations did not respond even after repeated calls. “This kind of abduction is not just unlawful – it is a direct assault on students’ right to protest, their safety, and our democracy,” said a statement from the student group.
The arrestee included AISA secretary Sourabh and students Mantesha and Shajahan.
The march was held to mark the 2008 Batla House “encounter,” one of India’s most controversial police operations carried out during Ramadan, when a Delhi Police Special Cell stormed an L-18 flat in Batla House, killing two Muslim men, Atif Amin and Mohammad Sajid, after labelling them as Indian Mujahideen members.
Twenty-four-year-old Atif Amin was a student of Jamia Millia Islamia, and 17-year-old Sajid was an aspirant of Jamia School.
Addressing the gathered students, AISA secretary Saurabh asked, “Why has there been no judicial inquiry into the Batla House encounter? What is the truth behind it, we need to know.”
Batla House ‘encounter’
On September 19, 2008, two men identified as Atif Amin and Mohammad Sajid were killed in what police described as an ‘encounter’ at the L-18 flat in Batla House, located in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar. Atif was a Master’s student in Human Rights at Jamia Millia Islamia, while Sajid had recently arrived in Delhi to prepare for his 11th-grade entrance exam.
Both were accused of involvement in the 2008 Delhi serial bomb blasts and labelled as members of the Indian Mujahideen. During the same operation, Delhi Police Special Cell Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma also lost his life.
The incident was followed by a wave of arrests targeting Muslim men across the country. From Azamgarh district alone, 14 young men were detained and branded as “Indian Mujahideen terrorists,” with their names linked to multiple bomb blasts nationwide.
In 2012, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a case against these three under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), notably, without citing any specific incident in the FIR.
As of 2025, many remain in jails, while their families continue to struggle for justice amid years of legal battles and uncertainty.
-
Viktor Gyokeres receives new Arsenal verdict as transfer target opens up
-
H-1B Visa Fee Hike: Trump Makes US Entry Costly for Professionals
-
Improve Fatty Liver: If you start taking these 5 supplements, your liver will become healthy in just 3 months
-
Trump's New H-1B Visa Restrictions: A Major Shift in U.S. Immigration Policy
-
Two Archers From Odisha's Sundargarh To Train In Korea
