The escalating tensions over the absence of an elected students' union and a clash between protesting students and security personnel prompted Jamia Millia Islamia authorities to move classes online on Saturday. The confrontation erupted after security guards attempted to dismantle tents set up by protesters on campus.
The clash took place amid an ongoing agitation demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU), with several students observing a hunger strike.
The protest began on October 12 and has gathered momentum, with students accusing the university administration of attempting to curb their agitation. The administration, however, has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, according to reports.
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Tensions escalated when security guards moved to remove the makeshift tents where the protesters had gathered. While the administration has denied acting without provocation, the students alleged that officials were trying to undermine their agitation and force them to abandon the protest.
Jamia Registrar Mahtab Alam Rizvi alleged that the visit of Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood to the campus a day earlier had disturbed the atmosphere at the university. Rizvi claimed that the two lawmakers had entered the campus by jumping over a wall and that their actions had aggravated tensions among students. He also said a complaint had been filed with the Delhi Police.
Pratapgarhi, meanwhile, criticised the administration's handling of the protest, alleging that security personnel had attempted to forcibly remove students observing a hunger strike. He said the administration had been compelled to retreat in the face of the students' unity and asserted that attempts to intimidate the protesters would not succeed.
The Congress MP also said he would return to the campus if necessary to support the students.
The central demand of the agitation is the restoration of the JMISU, which was disbanded in 2006 following incidents of campus violence that disrupted academic activities. Students have argued that the prolonged absence of an elected representative body has deprived them of a formal platform to raise their concerns.
The issue has also been raised in Parliament. In a letter dated October 21 to Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, CPI(M) MP John Brittas highlighted the absence of an elected students' union for nearly two decades.
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Brittas 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 controversy has also been compounded by the appearance of contentious slogans on university walls, reportedly linked to Jammu and Kashmir. The slogans prompted the BJP to demand an investigation, adding another dimension to the tensions on campus.
Abin Basil, a student associated with the protest, alleged that the slogans had been put up at the behest of the university administration, while strongly condemning their appearance.
Basil maintained that the students' primary demand remained the restoration of union elections. He also rejected suggestions that the Congress MPs' visit had contributed to the unrest, arguing that elected representatives had a legitimate role in engaging with students.
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