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Usually called as a politically ‘shy’ University, this Tuesday, Jamia Millia Islamia erupted with thousands of students outside the Vice Chancellor’s office which was subsequently followed by a muscle fight between the protesters and some goons, which are alleged to be hired by the administration itself.

The event raises significant questions that ought to formulate certain conjectures, but through a detailed assessment and statements from both the parties, we have tried to trace down most possible answers to these questions.

The first question that arises in our cerebral manifestations is what was the protest all about?

Apparently, yesterday on 22 October, a number of student organisations arranged a Solidarity March from the Central Canteen to VC’s Office as an extension of the 10-day long ongoing protest against the University administration which has issued a show cause notice in the name of five students of the University.

Protests in support of Palestine, outside the Edward W Said Hall, named after famous Palestinian- American Scholar Edward W Said. Credits: The Jamia Review — Protests in support of Palestine, outside the Edward W Said Hall, named after famous Palestinian- American Scholar Edward W Said.
Credits: The Jamia Review

What was it with regard to the show cause notice?

The five students who have received the show cause notice were among the 12 students who were a part of a symbolic protest probing the intrusion of an Israeli delegation that was supposed to be the country partner of ‘Global Health Zenith Confluence’19’, organized by the Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics, JMI, on October 5, 2019.

According to the administration, the students were rewarded with this show cause for hampering the University’s image and vandalising in an otherwise peaceful campus with an unnecessary protest.

One of the members of the All India Students Association says as we quote,

“It is our fundamental right to express our voices and it is utter nonsense to say that we engaged in some kind of vandalism, rather it was us who were manhandled by the guards.”

What was the progression of the protest?

For past one week the All India Students Association and the Dayar-e-Shauq Student Charter, another student organisation assembled near the central canteen demonstrating their contempt regarding the administration, and demanding for a revocation of the show cause notice against the students and a total boycott of Israel.

What happened at the Solidarity March?

On the ninth day of the protest, the students planned for a peaceful protest seeking a reply from the administration regarding the show cause notice and a face-to-face talk with the vice chancellor, reportedly almost a thousand students joined the March chanting slogans of ‘Inquilab‘ and ‘Azadi‘. After a day-long protest, in the second set of the day, some 10-15 students appeared at the venue, asking the protesters to vacate the place within next 30 minutes, failing which severe repercussions may befall upon them (as reported by one of the protesters).

Subsequently, the protesters refused to withdraw the protest following which they were attacked with flower pots and which were later dragged around, creating a huge scuffle, injuring many students; one of them being Shah Alam of B.A. (Hons.) Political Science is reported to be in extremely critical condition. The varsity campus was then flooded with a Delhi Police delegation which attracted lots of eyeballs.

The students then went on to protest for the entire night and were joined by more students from all over the University in the later part of the tenth day of protest. Songs and slogans complemented the fulmination, with flags of Palestine and India being raised outside the office to signify the protest. They were also extended support by the Hon’ble MP of the Thissur Constituency, Mr. T N Prathapan, who expressed his grievances against the authority and ensured his support to the students protesting. Protest also witnessed support from the JNU General Secretary, Satish Chandra Yadav, who backed the students with his words.

Congress MP Mr T N Prathapan extending support to the protesters at Jamia Millia Islamia. Credits: The Jamia Review — Congress MP Mr T N Prathapan extending support to the protesters at Jamia Millia Islamia.
Credits: The Jamia Review

What next?

The students have now raised their demands to be fulfilled by the administration, following which they are ready to withdraw the protest and return to the classes which elsewise witnessed a boycott of classes in the University today.

The demands by the protesters include three major points which include, a withdrawal of the show cause notice against the five students, an assurance of the safety of the protesters which ensures no action to be taken against the students, and a serious action against the ‘goons’ that prompted the attack on the protesters.

What happens further is yet to be discovered but this incident has surely engaged number of students who have expressed their solidarity and support in concerning times.

Feature Image Credits: The Jamia Review

Faizan Salik
[email protected]

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Jamia Milia Islamia students were protesting against Israeli Participation in a Campus Event, when two of the protestors were allegedly manhandled and beaten up by the guards. No action has been taken against the guards, while the students have been served show-cause notices by the Proctor.

On 5^th and 6^th October, the Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics at Jamia Milia Islamia University organised the ‘Global Health Zenith: Confluence-19’ on Medical Infrastructure Planning, with Israel as the country partner.

Unhappy with this, a protest was called on 5^th October, 2019, against this Israeli participation.

“We, the undersigned, appeal to the Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics at Jamia Millia Islamia University, to not have Israel as the country partner for the 2nd Global Health Zenith Confluence… If the university proceeds with the program in association with the Israeli embassy, it will be complicit in whitewashing Israel’s violation of Palestinian human rights and international law,” said the Joint Statement released by the students of the University.

At the protest, two students of Jamia Millia Islamia, Abudarta Khan, and Anas Jamal, have alleged they were manhandled by the university’s security guards. While the protest itself happened peacefully, after the protestors had dispersed, the two were allegedly isolated by the proctorial staff. They were, then, thrown into an official vehicle while being beaten and manhandled, and were locked inside the proctor’s office compound. “One person was being picked up by four guards. The Proctor himself pushed me inside the car,” said Abudarta Khan to DU Beat.

“They assaulted us physically. Our hair was pulled and phones were broken.” The students were then allegedly locked inside the proctor’s room. “Even inside the room, we were surrounded by 17 guards who pushed, slapped and kicked us. Our fellow protestors were outside and the same guards tried to snatch their placards,” added the student.

The rest of the protestors came back demanding that the two students be released, which led to a scuffle between them and the proctorial staff. A guard allegedly tried to intimidate a student following which he and other students near him were pushed and grappled by the guards.

The Press Release by the students says that in the discussion between the proctorial staff and the students, the Chief Proctor, Dr. Waseem Ahmad Khan, denied that the two students were forcibly detained or manhandled, and justified all the proctorial team’s actions by accusing the protestors of not taking permission for the protest. However, the students strongly demanded that action be taken against all the staff who had attacked the students. The proctor verbally agreed to conduct an inquiry into the incident and to allow two students to review CCTV footage of the site of the detention of the two students and the proctorial compound, so that the aggressors could be identified.

However, the Chief Proctor allegedly went back on his word and refused to let the students watch the CCTV footage of the site of the detention.

The students haven’t lodged a police complaint, as they were promised by their University administration that proper action would be taken against the guards after checking the CCTV footage. In a turn of events, the Chief Proctor has refused to take any action and has now served show-cause notices to six students, including the two who were forcibly detained, falsely accusing them of manhandling the security staff.

In conversation with Okhla Times, the Chief Proctor said, “ Students were not beaten by guards as being claimed by a few protesting students. On Thursday we called a few students and showed them the CCTV footage of the incident as we had promised them earlier and there was no such footage of university bulls manhandling students as claimed by them.”

But, according to the Press Release released by the students, “The chief proctor had also blatantly lied in a statement to Okhla Times news portal that a fair inquiry was conducted and that the students were allowed to see the footages of both the sites.”

Feature Image Credits: College Duniya

Satviki Sanjay

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