Jamia sends ₹2.66-crore damage bill to HRD over police action on December 15

Jamia Millia Islamia has submitted an estimate to the Ministry of Human Resource Development over damage to property worth ₹2.66 crore during police action inside the varsity on December 15, 2019, reported The Indian Express.

The estimate included damage to 25 CCTV cameras of ₹4.75 lakh.

In the past few days, many video clips from Jamia’s CCTV footage have surface, which show police personnel lathi charge on students as well as hitting CCTV cameras with lathis, inside the varsity library.

Delhi Police has maintained that few of the videos appear edited and they are verifying its authenticity.

As per the estimate submitted by Jamia Millia Islamia, public property amounting to ₹2,66,16,390 was damaged during police action. Varisty has specified that damage “occurred due to Delhi Police action on December 15, 2019”. While Jamia has said security personnel entered without permission, police has said that they were in pursuit of “rioters” and entered the premises as a result.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Just days after the violence, university authorities said that property damage was around ₹2.5 crore. It has also said that more detailed calculations would be done.

Tariq Ashraf Librarian had earlier said, “Most of the damage in the library is due to breaking of glass panes. Some of the other things damaged are CCTV cameras and tubelights, etc. But thankfully no books or manuscripts were touched.”

Break up of the estimates suggests that library equipment, doors, window panes, AC units, electrical system, chairs, tables, lights and mirrors were damaged in the action. According to the university’s estimates, equipment worth ₹55 lakh was also damaged, reported Indian Express

75 doors worth ₹41.25 lakh; 220 window panes worth ₹22.5 lakh; railings worth ₹18 lakh; hardware worth ₹15 lakh and 35 library tables worth ₹14 lakh were damaged during police action. The university also saw 175 chairs worth ₹7 lakh, “toilet items” worth ₹6 lakh, vegetation worth ₹7.5 lakh, tiles worth ₹8 lakh, and 15 aluminium doors worth ₹4.5 lakh being damaged.

Loss has also been incurred on account of paint peeling off the walls, estimated to be around ₹22.5 lakh. Jamia also incurred damage to 165 lights (₹12.4 lakh), stone coping (₹3.8 lakh), false ceiling (₹5.5 lakh) and kerb stones (₹2.5 lakh). Apart from this, 75 mirrors estimated to cost ₹72,630 and 180 glass films costing ₹72,000 were also damaged.