Students from across the country are gathering in solidarity with Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Two women specifically, in their early twenties are being hailed for putting up a brave face against police brutality. The video and images of these two women, warning the policeman not to hit the man crouching behind her, has taken the internet by storm. The women can be seen confronting baton-wielding police officers to save their friend during the protest.
Take a look at the video here:
The women in this video are Ayesha Renna and Ladeeda Farzana who are trying to save their friend Shaheen Abdulla, a journalism student. While Ayesha is a history student in JMI, Ladeeda is a BA Arabic student.
‘They Hit Us With Lathis’, Says Ayesha
Recalling the incident, Ayesha told a leading news portal that she and her friends saw people taking cover and running towards a house, with cops charging at them. “We went inside the garage of a house and stayed there. There were nine of us girls and one boy. The gate couldn’t be closed because a car was blocking it,” she said. She further said a few policemen surrounded them and asked them to come out.
Cops also assured them that they wouldn’t beat them if they came outside the house. “We refused but suddenly one of them dragged the boy out and we were pulled out too. They then started hitting all of us with lathis,” Ayesha further said in the interview.
‘Thought Male Cops Wouldn’t Hit Us,’ Says Ladeeda
“I am asthmatic, and the tear gas was choking me. There were two other girls with us, who had been beaten up and we wanted them to get first aid. We had gone into the house thinking that we would be safe, but the police followed us there too. And that is when we decided to shout slogans against them,” recalled Ladeeda.
Ladeeda even said that she and her friends were both confident that male cops would not raise their hands at them. “But instead they saw us as if we were not human beings deserving of any consideration,” exclaimed Ladeeda. She further said a few people gathered there helped them.
‘Cops Simply Wanted To Thrash Us,’ Recalls Shaheen
Shaheen, the man Ayesha and Ladeeda rescued is a young journalist with Maktoob Media who is pursuing his post-graduation in Convergent Journalism from AJK Mass Communication Research Centre.
“I tried explaining that I am a journalist, but that did not matter. They simply wanted to thrash us. I told them that we were not protestors, but they simply did not want to listen,” said Shaheen.
Twitterati Hail Courageous Girls
Featured Image: Twitter
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