Medical Panel to ascertain age of Jamia Attacker

The Juvenile Justice Board on Friday sent the youth who fired at an anti-CAA rally near Jamia university to 14 days’ protective custody. A spokesperson for the Delhi Police said it has asked the board to form a medical panel to conduct a bone ossification test to verify if he was a minor, in the eventuality of which his case would be heard by the Juvenile Justice Board. Juveniles found guilty of a crime are sent to a correction home. The amended Arms Act prescribes up to life term for adults possessing illegal firearms.

The Jamia student who suffered a bullet wound on his left hand from the youth’s firing was discharged from AIIMS on Friday morning. Students staged a peaceful protest against the contentious citizenship law outside the university on Friday too. They carried placards which read ‘Stop Hate Speech’, ‘Safety Really?’ ‘What’s in a Name?’, etc. Protesters said they were shocked when they saw the youth emerge from the crowd and fire in full public view, despite a heavy police presence. The attacker later shouted ‘yeh lo azaadi’ and moved towards a posse of policemen who watched for a while before overpowering him. The incident has raised questions on police inaction.

Chief metropolitan magistrate Gurmohina Kaur has sought a response from the Delhi Police by February 5 on a plea which said it was not conducting a fair probe into the December 15 violence near Jamia. The petitioner sought a court-monitored investigation.