Jamia Millia Islamia Tensions Escalate as Students, Security Guards Clash; Classes Shift Online

Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi has shifted classes online following a clash between protesting students and university security guards.

The students have been demonstrating since October 12, demanding the restoration of student union elections on campus.

Tensions escalated when security personnel attempted to remove tents set up by the protesters, including students participating in a hunger strike. The confrontation prompted the university administration to move classes to an online format amid concerns over the situation on campus.

University Registrar Mahtab Alam Rizvi alleged that the visit of two Congress MPs, Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood, a day earlier had aggravated tensions. He claimed the leaders entered the campus by jumping over a boundary wall and disrupted the university environment. The registrar also said that a complaint had been filed with Delhi Police.

The Congress leaders, however, faced criticism from the administration over their visit, while Pratapgarhi defended the protesting students. He accused the university authorities of attempting to forcibly dismantle the protest site and said the administration had been compelled to retreat in the face of student unity.

Pratapgarhi asserted that attempts to intimidate the students would not succeed and said he was prepared to return to the campus if required to support their movement.

Students Demand Restoration of Union Elections
The central demand of the protesters is the reinstatement of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU), which was disbanded in 2006 following campus violence that disrupted academic activities. Students have argued that the prolonged absence of an elected union has deprived them of an important platform for representation.

On October 21, CPI(M) MP John Brittas wrote to Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, raising concerns over the absence of student union elections for nearly two decades. In his letter, he referred to constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and association, University Grants Commission guidelines on student entitlements, and the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee on campus elections.

The All India Students’ Association (AISA), a left-wing student organisation, also alleged that the administration had acted against students on hunger strike without provocation. The university administration rejected the allegations.

Controversy Over Slogans on Campus
The dispute has also been accompanied by controversy over anti-national slogans reportedly found on university walls and linked to Jammu and Kashmir. The development prompted the BJP to demand an investigation.

Student Abin Basil alleged that the contentious slogans had been planted at the behest of the university administration, a claim that remains an allegation. He condemned the slogans and maintained that the students’ principal demand was the restoration of student union elections.

Basil also accused the administration of attempting to dismantle the protest tent while claiming to persuade the students to end their hunger strike. He defended the Congress MPs’ visit, arguing that their presence did not undermine the campus environment.

With students continuing to press for elected representation and the administration disputing allegations of a crackdown, tensions at Jamia Millia Islamia remain centred on student union elections, the handling of the ongoing protest and the circumstances surrounding the latest confrontation.