These Three Jamia Millia Girls Have Become The Face Of CAA Protests

Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act are rising throughout the country. In the reputed Jamia Millia Islamia University, students' protest and the police actions being taken to thwart it are now making headlines. A particular picture of three women students protesting on December 12th became viral on the internet. So who are these young women who have emerged as the face of ongoing protests at JMI?

Who Are The Three Girls?

Ladeeda Sakhaloon is a first-year student of BA Arabic. She is from Kannur, Kerala. The second woman is Chanda Yadav, a student of BA Hindi, who comes from a village in UP’s Chandauli. The third is Aysha Renna from Kerala’s Malappuram and is in the second year of MA History.

Chanda is the first girl from her village to move to a city for education.  Speaking about how her family did not want her to study at Jamia Millia, she told Outlook, “They said you are going to a Muslim university. You’ll become like them, you’ll start eating what they eat. The hatred for Muslims and JMI made me all the more curious about the university. And after spending over two years here, I know how wrong they were.” In fact, her mother also asks her to stay away from protests. She doesn't know how her mother will react if she sees the picture. However, Chanda says that they are doing their part just like other students.

While protesting inside the Jamia Millia campus, the girls shouted slogans like "CAB, tera naam Islamophobia”, “Sanghvaad ki qabr khudegi, Jamia ki dharti par”, “Neel salam, assalam”, and “Intifada, inquilab”.

According to Aysha, she shouted so much that it made her voice hoarse. However, she wanted her words to reach miles away. "I knew I was representing each one of the students standing in front of me.”

The Protest At Jamia Millia

The protest at Jamia Millia was called by the university's students, Teaching Association as well as the Non-teaching staff. It included a march from Jamia to Parliament Street. Delhi Police imposed section 144 of the CRPC in the area and barricaded the way from the university to the Parliament. According to reports, the protest soon turned violent. The police used tear gas to dispell the crowd. The police also resorted to lathi-charge on students. A Jamia Millia student said, "We have left the exams in the middle and cancelled it. Jamia will raise its voice if anything wrong happens to our nation. We have boycotted the classes and exams. We will march again and again for our rights."

Due to the protests, around 60 students, as well as many journalists have reportedly suffered injuries. Dozens of policemen were also injured. Nearly 30 people were admitted to the nearby Holy Family Hospital following the clashes. Of them, 25 were discharged by the hospital after first aid.

Due to ongoing protests, all undergraduate, as well as postgraduate exams at the University have been postponed. The University has also declared a holiday until 5th January.

Also Read: Najma Akhtar Appointed First Woman VC Of Jamia Millia Islamia 

Picture Credit: Outlook India

Prapti is an intern at SheThePeople.TV