Lathi charging is wrong, but police retaliating for self-protection isn’t: Gautam Gambhir

The police attack on the students of Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) in New Delhi has created an uproar among the students across the country. The police barged into the institution and used tear gas and also resorted to lathi charging. The assault has injured at least 100 students and it has sparked protests by students from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) to IIT Madras.

The students of the JMI claimed that they didn’t take to violence while protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Amidst the ruckus and outrage across the entire nation, Gautam Gambhir, the BJP MP from East Delhi Constituency, has opened up on the grave matter.

No problem in protesting peacefully: Gautam Gambhir

The veteran condemned the lathi charging, but didn’t mince any words in saying that doing the same for self-protection isn’t wrong. In protests of the CAA, public properties have been vandalized and Gambhir said that in that case, the police aren’t left with any other option, but to retaliate.

“I said lathi charging students is wrong but if something has happened due to self-protection then it is not wrong. If you are throwing stones and burn public properties then police will retaliate in some way. If you are protesting peacefully, then there is no problem, you have all the rights,” Gambhir was quoted as saying in Economic Times.

“You talk about your issues and to handle those issues and solve those is the responsibility of the govt and would be the responsibility in future too,” Gambhir, who’s also a former Indian cricketer, added.

This bill is about giving citizenship, says Gambhir

As per the CAA, the immigrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan will now be granted Indian citizenship in six years, a number reduced from 12. However, that only includes Hindu, Parsi, Christian, Buddhist and Sikh, and not Muslims, adding fuel to fire. India is a secular state, treating every religion as equal. Therefore, the CAA hasn’t gone down well with many.

But Gambhir has said that the talks of CAA being against the Muslims are baseless. As per him, CAA is about ‘giving citizenship, “Rumours that are being spread that this bill is against Muslim, it is wrong. This bill is about giving citizenship not taking away citizenship,” Gambhir added.