Jamia Millia Islamia has shifted to online classes amid ongoing student protests, with demonstrators claiming the move is a deliberate attempt to clear the campus and suppress their demand for the restoration of the student union.
Tensions Rise as JMI Moves Classes Online
The ongoing unrest at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) deepened on Sunday as protesting students openly questioned the university administration's decision to abruptly shift all classes online and shut down core facilities, calling it a deliberate tactic to clear the campus and suppress their demand for the restoration of the student union.
The university administration announced on Saturday that all courses would move to online format with immediate effect until further notice. Alongside the academic shift, central facilities including the library, canteens, and main entry gates were closed down, locking out students and leaving those on campus isolated.
Students Allege Suppression Tactics
Students participating in the ongoing demonstration and hunger strike, which began on October 12, accused the university authorities of creating a pretext to dismantle the protest site near the Ghalib statue lawns. Expressing frustration over the sudden closure, student Mohammad Ayan Khan alleged that administrative inaction against corruption and favouritism is the driving force behind the student union demand.
"I saw that notice, and our friends saw it too, but they did all this on purpose. First of all, they told the students to leave, saying they wouldn't let them inside. The students had just one demand: they were losing out on their studies. If you don't let us inside, how will we handle our upcoming exams?" Khan said. He alleged that the shift to online classes was being used as a justification to kick students off campus.
"So they said they were shifting everything online to give themselves a solid excuse to kick the students out, like, 'We moved the classes online, so why are you still hanging around here?' It's a simple matter; they used this trick to get the students out. That's why they've set up all these online classes," he added.
Calls for Student Union Restoration
Speaking about the ongoing protest for the restoration of the students' union, Khan alleged that corruption and bullying had increased at the university and that those in positions of authority were not adequately addressing students' concerns.
"Look, the demand of the Student Union is happening mainly because of corruption. Corruption has really gone up at Jamia, and there's a lot of bullying here. The people who have power don't listen to the students; they just do things for their own benefit. First, they hand out hostel seats for their own profit. After that, the students' concerns aren't heard at all. The professors teach well, but some just don't. If a complaint is filed against them, no action is taken. Why? Because they've paid their way in," he said.
Explaining why he believes a students' union is necessary, Khan said it would provide students with a platform to raise their concerns and seek redressal. "A Student Union should be formed; our brothers are demanding it. They want that once a Student Union is in place, they can take all the students' problems forward. Our Vice Chancellor, Mr Mazhar Asif, also often doesn't interfere in student matters. If students face a problem, he just doesn't listen to them or come to them quickly. That's why people are protesting for a Student Union," he added.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Yusuf Siddiqui, a first-year student, said, "There was a notice just yesterday saying all classes have been shifted online and all the gates are closed. The canteen and library are also closed for now." Asked whether the university had properly communicated the developments to students, Siddiqui said, "No, they told me when I got here that there was some Kashmir issue, so I have no idea, which is why I can't confirm that for you right now."
Administrative Stance and Campus Conflict
The students have been demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU) and the removal of the university's Chief Proctor, accusing the administration of cracking down on protesters. The protest and hunger strike began on October 12. During the initial days of the demonstration, Delhi Police attempted to remove protesters from the designated protest site on the university campus, leading to an escalation of the protest.
Over 1,500 teaching and non-teaching staff of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), along with the Vice-Chancellor of JMI, Prof. Mazhar Asif and Registrar of JMI, Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi, convened a meeting on Saturday at the university’s Ansari Auditorium lawns to discuss the way forward. The meeting followed four rounds of talks and an appeal issued by the committee last night urging the students to call off their protests.
The meeting comes in a significant development amid week-long efforts by a seven-member high-level committee of university professors, constituted on October 18, to mediate with students protesting for elections to the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU). Expressing dismay over incidents of vandalism and the defacement of campus walls with highly objectionable slogans, JMI faculty members and staff asserted that such actions undermined the academic atmosphere and the dignity of an institution with a distinguished 106-year legacy, as per the release.
The gathering unanimously adopted two resolutions: First, the employees resolved to urge the protesters to vacate the protest site and call off their agitation to restore peace and normalcy on campus, particularly at the Ghalib statue lawns, which had been illegally occupied by the protesting students despite Gate No. 18 being the designated protest site at JMI, it added. Second, faculty and staff resolved to repaint the defaced walls and cover slogans they described as highly condemnable and detrimental to the nation’s integrity, security and sovereignty. The JMI Students' Union was suspended in 2006 following recurring incidents of violent clashes, attacks on teachers and occasional disruptions of classes.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)