Jamia Millia Islamia has lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police against Congress Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood, Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi and others, accusing them of trespassing on campus and inciting unrest during a student agitation for union elections, a university official said on Sunday.
There was no response from the Delhi Police to the complaint or the allegations that several students were detained outside Gate 7.
The SFI has demanded that students be included in the constitution-drafting committee, election dates be announced in the current semester, and all disciplinary action against protesters be revoked. On Saturday, the university shifted classes online, citing security concerns. In a social media post, the SFI described the situation as a crackdown on students. The SFI’s Jamia unit alleged that the proctor and registrar, along with the security adviser, tried to remove the hunger strikers, dismantled their tents and dragged women students. The university administration alleged that some students pushed security guards and teachers. In its online class order, the university also directed students to avoid visiting campus, stating that its gates and libraries would remain closed until further notice. It has also sought the resignation of the chief proctor and security adviser over the alleged use of force against students.
There was no response from the Delhi Police to the complaint or the allegations that several students were detained outside Gate 7. The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has alleged that hundreds of police personnel detained students outside Gate 7. A section of students has been demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU), and four of them have been on a hunger strike for 13 days. The protest began nearly two weeks ago for the restoration of the JMISU, elections for which have not been held since 2006. It said it notified a JMISU Constitution Draft Committee on October 21 and promised to review disciplinary action taken or initiated against students over the October 12 protest. The university has maintained that Gate 18 is the designated site for protests and that the agitation at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawns was an unauthorised occupation. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The same day, according to the university, “more than 1,500” teaching and non-teaching staff, along with Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi, marched from the Ansari Auditorium lawns to Gate 7 to persuade the protesting students to call off their agitation. The university said the staff made repeated appeals over nearly two hours, but the protesters refused to vacate the site. A heavy deployment of police has been made outside the campus, and students are being stopped from entering and even being detained, according to a student. Besides the four on a hunger strike, PhD scholar Sanam has been sitting in at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawns in protest, the SFI said. The university said a seven-member committee of professors has held four rounds of talks with the students.
