Jamia Students’ Union Protest: University Shifts Classes Online, Talks Remain Inconclusive

Jamia Millia Islamia has shifted all courses to online mode with immediate effect and until further notice as protests on campus continue over demands to restore the students’ union. The university said in a Saturday statement that the decision was taken to ensure the safety and security of “bonafide students”.

The notice, dated October 24 and signed by registrar Mohd Mahtab Alam Rizvi, also directed faculty members to help the transition by providing academic support and learning material for online classes, reported Hindustan Times.

The protests centre on a long-running student demand to revive the students’ union, which was dissolved in 2006.

Protest Camp Removal

Videos surfaced online on Saturday that purportedly showed a student protest camp being removed from Gulistan-i-Ghalib garden inside the campus near Gate no. 7. The footage also appeared to show students being told to disperse. HT reported that it could not independently verify the videos.

One of the protesters described a failed round of talks earlier in the day. “In the morning, dozens of professors, along with the registrar, held talks with us, but the discussions ended without any satisfactory outcome. We made it clear that the protest would continue until our demands were met,” said 22-year-old Ebin Basil, who has been on a hunger strike since October 12.

Basil also alleged that the administration acted against the protesters after the talks. “On the administration’s directions, security guards removed the tent and they moved the students on hunger strike inside the Faculty of Economics building, and called an ambulance to forcibly detain us. But there are students outside the building who aren’t letting them detain us,” Basil said.

Administration And Students

Talks are still on. An official source familiar with the matter said a group of professors met the students to persuade them to end the hunger strike because of concerns over their health. Negotiations with a committee formed by the administration are continuing.

Student protester Saurabh Tripathi, secretary of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) at Jamia, said the shift to online classes was meant to weaken the protest and stop more students from joining. “The Jamia administration has begun assaulting students in the midst of negotiations. The hunger strikers and the protest site are being attacked. They have shifted classes online so that students remain confined to their rooms,” Tripathi said.

Another student made a similar charge. A 22-year-old master’s student, who asked not to be named, said the use of the term “bonafide students” was an attempt to split the campus community. “The protest has been going on for around two weeks, and students have remained peaceful. People are joining the movement of their own free will. By claiming that the shift to online classes is aimed at ensuring the safety and security of bonafide students, the administration is only trying to divide students who have united to demand the restoration of the students’ union,” the student said.