Modi govt using brutal tactics to crush students protests: President Arif Alvi

In a message posted on twitter, President Arif Alvi expressed outrage at the brutal tactics being adopted by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to crush student protests in the capital New Delhi after a contentious citizenship bill was passed by the Indian parliament last week, sparking riots and violence.

The message posted on Monday morning, the president shared a video of an unidentified girl who narrated the ordeal of a group of girls who were beaten with sticks by the police on Sunday at a mosque inside the Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi.

Violent protests have spread across India after the successful passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act in the Indian parliament. According to the new law, India will grant citizenship to people of numerous faiths fleeing persecution from Muslim-majority neighbouring countries, except Muslims.

On Sunday, more than 100 activists protesting against the new law were injured in Delhi as they clashed with police who used tear gas and baton charges to disperse demonstrators. By Monday morning, the protests had spread to several university campuses across India, suggested reports.

In the message shared on Twitter, President Alvi wrote, “Out of 1000s of messages that have come out of India since y/day, I am tweeting this one particularly as this girl cries & narrates the brutal police action on girls inside the mosque at Jamia Milia Univ in Delhi.”

“Modi Govt is at war with Muslims using fascist Hindutva barbarism,” the president added, echoing the comparisons made by top Pakistani leadership to describe the actions of the Indian premier. Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan had also compared Modi to world war II villain Hitler.