Muslim Student Leaders Say Police Detained, Abused Them With Communal Slurs During DU Elections.

The student leaders also alleged that the police did not act against members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Malvika Choudhary

New Delhi: As the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections were underway on September 27, two student leaders, Shahreyar Khan and Annan, were detained by the police at Maurice Nagar Police Station around 7:30 pm following a reported altercation 200 meters away from the polling booth near Mother Dairy, a local spot in the University of Delhi North Campus.

Khan, a former state president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) student wing (2018-19), and Annan, a member of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), were meeting fellow students after polling had concluded when police allegedly initiated a lathi charge without prior warning

Allegedly abused with slurs such as “mulla,” “deshdrohi,” and “terrorist.”

According to Khan, who is currently enrolled in the Campus Law Centre (CLC) batch of 2021-24, he was physically assaulted by the police, while both students claim they were verbally abused with communal slurs, including terms such as “mulla,” “deshdrohi,” and “terrorist.”

The police were allegedly instructed to disperse students from all political parties near the polling booth, but Khan alleges they were unfairly targeted despite being a considerable distance away. He also claimed the police did not act against members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) – the student wing of the RSS – which he believes was a deliberate move against students opposing right-wing groups.

“The police were specifically targeting one group, and when I asked them to speak calmly, they picked me out from the crowd,” Khan said. He alleged that police officer Manoj Kumar Meena ordered the cops to beat him, which led to them dragging him 200 meters away and assaulting him with boots while verbally abusing him with communal slurs.

Protest outside Maurice Nagar Police Station

“I repeatedly told them I was a patient of sarcoidosis, under treatment at Patel Chest Institute, but they ignored me. They called me a runaway and continued the assault,” Khan stated. He added that the officers later put him in a van, threatened him, and took his phone before holding him for nearly two hours.

During this time, he was unable to contact anyone for help. Khan mentioned that the police had initially planned to throw him out on the road. Fortunately, his professor, Krishna Moorari, happened to arrive at the scene, and only then was Sharyar released. He further alleged that the police tried to write his name on the list of unidentified bodies.

After being detained for hours, Khan was taken to Hindu Rao Hospital for a medical examination. Despite multiple attempts, he stated that the police at Maurice Nagar Station refused to register an FIR against Meena. “We sat at the police station all night, and after talks with the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), they still denied registering an FIR,” Khan added. He has since contacted the Joint Commissioner of Police of Delhi Police, but as of now, no FIR has been lodged. Eventually, a complaint was filed at 4:02 AM on September 28 after hours of protests and appeals.

Annan, who was detained alongside Shahreyar, did not face physical assault but confirmed the use of verbal abuse. “The police didn’t beat me, but they hurled slurs of communal nature at both of us and took my phone,” Annan said. He believes that their detention was politically motivated, pointing to instructions that the police received. “The police were told to remove student leaders away from the polling booth because every party was trying to assert their influence there. But we were not near the booth, and still, they came to us. This shows we were specifically targeted.”

Khan believes that his outspoken opposition to right-wing politics made him a target.

“I lost the CLC election last year by just 39 votes to ABVP. We were giving ABVP a tough fight this year too, and I feel this detention was politically motivated because of my active involvement in student politics.” He also noted a lack of support from the university administration. “The administration has remained silent. This isn’t the first time we’ve been targeted due to our political beliefs,” Khan remarked.

When contacted for a response, officers at Maurice Nagar Police Station were reluctant to speak, with the Station House Officer (SHO) being unavailable at the time. When The Wire contacted the SHO over phone the following morning, the officer declined to comment, advising that the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) be contacted. Attempts to reach DCP North Delhi Manoj Kumar Meena, who is the same police officer allegedly involved in the incident, have been unsuccessful as calls remain unanswered.

Political Tensions During DUSU Elections

DUSU elections have a history of political tension, often leading to clashes between opposing student groups. Khan and Annan allege that the police, instead of maintaining neutrality, acted under bias in favour of certain political factions.

Campaign posters in Delhi University. Photo: Malvika Choudhary

Khan added, “For years, we have faced targeting due to our collective opposition to right-wing politics. This was an attempt to silence our voices during a critical election period.” Following the incident, several students gathered at Maurice Nagar Police Station to demand the registration of an FIR. “We are determined to get justice for the police brutality we faced,” Khan said. Although a complaint was filed at 4:02 am on September 28, the students’ demand for an FIR remains unmet. Protests are ongoing outside the Maurice Nagar Police Station, where around 30 students were detained today. As of this report’s filing, the FIR had not been registered.

Courtesy: The Wire

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