- Jamia shifted online classes amid escalating student union demands.
- University staff urged protest end; students alleged officials used force.
- Students demand union elections; university formed constitution drafting committee.
Jamia Millia Islamia on Saturday shifted to online classes amid escalating tensions over students’ demand for union elections, following a confrontation between protesting students and university staff at the hunger strike site.
In a notice issued by the registrar’s office, the university said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure students’ safety and security while maintaining continuity in the teaching-learning process.
The university asked students enrolled in all courses to attend classes online as per their schedules and avoid visiting the campus. It also announced that the university gates and libraries would remain closed until further notice, PTI reported.
Jamia Staff March To Protest Site, Urge Students To End Agitation
The development came after more than 1,500 teaching and non-teaching staff members, along with Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi, gathered at the Ansari Auditorium lawns on Saturday morning before marching to Gate No. 7.
According to a university statement, the staff members unanimously resolved to appeal to the protesting students to vacate the protest site and restore normalcy on campus. They also decided to repaint walls defaced with what the administration described as objectionable slogans.
The university said staff members tried to persuade the protesters to call off their agitation for nearly two hours. However, the students continued raising slogans and asked the faculty members to return.
The administration alleged that some protesters pushed security guards, staff members and teachers, prompting the university staff to withdraw from the site.
SFI Alleges Force Against Protesters, Women Students Dragged
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Jamia unit, presented a different account of the confrontation, alleging that university officials, including the proctor and registrar, along with the security adviser, attempted to forcibly remove the hunger strikers.
The student organisation alleged that the officials dismantled tents and dragged women students during the confrontation. The protesters have also demanded the resignation of the chief proctor and security adviser over the alleged use of force.
A student at the protest site claimed that university representatives, accompanied by security guards and faculty members, attempted to remove the protesters’ tents after talks failed.
The situation escalated over the next 15 to 20 minutes, the student alleged, adding that five hunger strikers moved inside a department while other students tried to shield them.
The student further claimed that a large number of police personnel were present outside the university, students were being prevented from entering the campus, and some protesters were dragged away and detained.
There was no immediate response available from the Delhi Police regarding the allegations.
Students Demand Restoration Of Jamia Students’ Union
The protest, which began nearly two weeks ago, centres on the demand for the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU). Students have pointed out that union elections have not been held since 2006.
According to the SFI, four students are on an indefinite hunger strike, while a PhD scholar named Sanam has been staging an indefinite sit-in at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawns.
The university said a seven-member committee of professors had held four rounds of talks with the students and issued an appeal urging them to call off the agitation.
It also said a JMISU Constitution Draft Committee was notified on October 21. A separate notification issued the same day stated that disciplinary action taken or initiated against students protesting over issues arising from October 12 would be reviewed.
SFI Seeks Student Representation In Constitution-Drafting Panel
The SFI said the university’s measures were inadequate and put forward three key demands: the inclusion of students in the constitution-drafting committee, the announcement of election dates within the ongoing semester, and the revocation of all disciplinary action against protesters.
Meanwhile, the university maintained that the protest site near the Ghalib statue lawns was not a designated location for demonstrations. It identified Gate No. 18 as the approved site for protests.
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