In photos: India refuses to stay quiet in the face of repression

There’s no stopping the volcanic eruption of protests across India against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

It started on Dec. 15, when students at New Delhi’s Jamia Millia University gathered to protest the law, which is widely perceived as anti-Muslim. The Delhi Police reportedly broke into the campus, attacked students and vandalised the premises, and allegedly fired bullets and tear gas, injuring several students.

This sparked outrage across the country. In Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), students protesting the violence, ended up facing policy brutality, too.

On Jan. 5, the situation took a turn for the worst with goons going on a rampage at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the nation’s capital—right under the nose of the Delhi police.

The violence has not stopped students across the country from speaking out. From Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and the Film & Television Institute of India in Pune to National Law University in Bengaluru and Jadhavpur University in West Bengal, scores of students are voicing their dissent. Even students from Columbia University in New York and UK’s Oxford University have expressed solidarity.

Outside campuses, professionals are taking time out to attend demonstrations. In Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh,  a women-led protest has been going on round-the-clock for weeks braving the harsh winter.

In the Bollywood-crazed nation, some of the biggest film stars, who usually maintain a staunch silence on politics, have made their anti-violence stance known.

The spirit isn’t dying. People across the country are handing out free water, tea, biscuits and fruits, and bringing books to read at protest venues. Meanwhile, some establishments are opening their restroom doors for nearby protestors.