NEW DELHI: “We are going to stay here the entire night, till the Jamia students are not released, hospitalised and treated. Our demands are simple. Students are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. How can the police enter the library, the hostels, washrooms without permission, asked political activist N.Sai Balaji while protesting against the Delhi police action outside its headquarters.

The very short notice appeal for Delhi citizens to gather at the Delhi police headquarters to protest against the brutal attack on Jamia students has drawn a huge response, with the crowd increasing here by the minute. Carrying hastily made placards, and shouting slogans against the government and the police the demonstrators strongly condemned the attack on the students.

“The police brutality started when JNU students were targeted. Now it can be seen in Jamia. On the first day of the anti CAB protests in Jamia, students were lathi charged. Yesterday there was a university shutdown. And today the students have been brutally injured, our comrades are not allowed to go inside,” Varki, a Delhi University student said.

A former JNU student added, “how can the Delhi police enter the campus. Even with the JNU students the police was not as brutal as it was today. This shows a communal character. There are rumours of death and injuries, we do not know what is true, but we know that they attacked the students mercilessly.

Despite the cold, the people are still coming in. Metro stations have been shut but students are arriving in shared cabs and autos. Some photographs from outside the Police Headquarters where Delhi’s old and young have gathered to protest - “Dilli police Jamia choro”.