Introduction to Khakiland

In the last episode that narrates the stories of police violence on 20 December 2019 in Uttar Pradesh, we talk about the disturbing findings of systematic police violence against minors in Uttar Pradesh during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests. Drawing on fact-finding investigations, 41 minors endured custodial torture after being detained during the brutal crackdown. This is not confined to one town, but minors from the Muslim community across UP were targeted.

In this episode of Khakiland, Human rights activist and researcher Sajjad Hussain discusses the widespread and systematic violence that occurred in Uttar Pradesh on 20 December 2019, which left 23 Muslims killed in nine districts of Uttar Pradesh. After the killing spree over the anticipation of anti-CAA protests, police forcefully buried the bodies of the slain. The pattern of police action, use of excessive force, and lack of accountability are examined in detail, with Hussain suggesting why it may constitute crimes against humanity.

In the first episode of a three-part series delving into the police violence in Uttar Pradesh during December 2019, we hear gripping accounts from an opposition leader and a former high-ranking police officer. They reveal how authorities systematically framed anti-CAA protesters as instigators to justify the brutal crackdown that resulted in the deaths of at least 23 Muslims in the state. Congress leader Sadaf Jafar and SR Darapuri, a retired senior police officer who once held the third-highest rank in Uttar Pradesh, share their harrowing experiences, exposing the vindictive and oppressive tactics employed by the state.

In this second part of the story about the night of 15 December 2019, we continue the harrowing narrative of the police operations against students protesting the new citizenship law. Building on the events recounted in the previous episode, this episode focuses on the brutal crackdown at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh. As the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi began to subside in the first half of the night, Uttar Pradesh police launched a relentless attack on students of Aligarh Muslim University. The students in AMU endured one of the most severe assaults of the night, leaving hundreds injured and thousands traumatized.

January 28, 2025, marks five years since the arrest of Muslim student activist Sharjeel Imam over a speech he gave during the anti-CAA protest. Imam remains an undertrial prisoner with a bail petition pending in Delhi High Court for nearly three years with no decision. In this episode of Khakiland, his lawyer Ahmed Ibrahim and Muzzammil Imam narrate how and why one of the nation's brightest minds remains behind bars without bail.

One night, two universities in India, miles apart, experienced state violence that would leave hundreds of students injured and thousands traumatised. It is the most critical event in the rise of nationwide protests against the amendment of citizenship law in December 2019. On the night of 15 December 2019, police occupied Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh and Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi — central universities with a significant Muslim character. In this episode, we speak to people who were witnesses to the police violence in Jamia Millia Islamia.

We join the personal journey of our journalist Shaheen Abdulla to uncover the realities faced by Muslims under India’s law enforcement system. This podcast explores how Islamophobia has seeped into the foundations of policing, fueling hostility and injustice. In the first season of Khakiland, we look at how police quilled the anti-CAA protest that broke out in December 2019. The four months of protest tell a larger story of different forms of state repression. Stay tuned.