Muslim student protester says Delhi police targeted her over her name
New Delhi: Muslim students who participated in a protest against irregularities in India’s NEET examination system have said that Delhi Police subjected them to physical assault, intimidation and Islamophobic abuse, with one protester saying she was branded a “traitor” because of her Muslim name.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the young protesters shared their experiences while addressing the media alongside Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Farhanaaz, a graduate student from Uttar Pradesh, said police singled her out during a July 20 march to Parliament and assaulted protesters who were demonstrating peacefully. “We were protesting peacefully. These police goons beat us badly,” she said, adding that she was judged because of her name and called a “traitor”. She further said that similar accusations against the protesters were amplified on social media.
Another protester, Muskan Sharma, said she too faced Islamophobic abuse because people assumed she was Muslim despite her surname. “Everyone thinks I am Muslim and that’s why I am getting more abuse. It tells a lot about the narrative being set in this country,” she said, questioning how criticizing the government could make anyone “anti-national”.
Riya Ahir, who drew attention after stopping a Mumbai Police van carrying detained protesters, also said she had faced sustained harassment following the incident.
Addressing the media, Rahul Gandhi said the students had committed no crime by protesting against irregularities in the examination system, adding the authorities responded with violence instead of addressing their concerns. “They weren’t doing violence. They were not being aggressive. Yet they were beaten, assaulted and threatened,” Gandhi said.
Calling the education system “flawed” and “collapsing”, Gandhi said demanding reforms was “not a crime” and and praised the protesters for standing up for the Constitution, the education system and India’s future. He also condemned attempts to intimidate the protesters and blamed Home Minister Amit Shah for the police violence, saying the minister had neither addressed the issue in Parliament nor shown the courage to respond to the allegations.
Gandhi said that if Amit Shah was unaware of the police violence, it demonstrated “incompetence”, while asserting that students should not face intimidation or repression for raising legitimate concerns about the examination system.
