New Delhi, Oct. 24 -- Tensions scaled up at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on Saturday as an ongoing student protest demanding the restoration of the student union entered its 13th day. What began as an indefinite hunger strike by five students culminated in physical confrontations, heavy security deployment, and an immediate switch to online classes.
Key Demands and Campus Mobilisation
The primary focus of the agitation is the revival of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU), which was disbanded in 2006 following incidents of campus violence and academic disruption. Alongside the demand for union elections, the five hunger-striking students are calling for the resignation of the university's Chief Proctor for cracking down on protesters, as well as the immediate revocation of show-cause notices, campus bans, and disciplinary actions issued against student activists. Demonstrations picked up momentum on October 23, when women students organized a campus-wide rally starting from the Ibn-e-Sina Reading Hall, marching past the Polytechnic Faculty and Central Canteen to Gate No. 7. The marchers emphasised that any revived union must centre around gender justice and democratic representation, while resisting new physical walls built by the administration.
Clashes at Gate 7
On Saturday afternoon, teaching and non-teaching staff, accompanied by security personnel, arrived at the protest site inside the Gulistan-i-Ghalib garden near Gate No. 7. Though intended as a dialogic reach-out to hear student demands, the interaction turned volatile. According to a press release by the All India Students' Association (AISA), security guards forcibly pulled down protest tents and assaulted students while attempting to vacate the site. Video footage showed guards dispersing students and removing tents, though the protesters ultimately managed to hold their ground and reclaim the space.
In response, the university administration suspended offline teaching across all departments with immediate effect.
"In view of the ongoing situation and in order to ensure the safety and security of bonafide students... the Competent Authority, JMI, has decided to conduct classes of all courses of the University through online mode with immediate effect until further notice," the official university order stated.
Security Deployment and Heightened Disruption
The university gates have been barricaded and surrounded by hundreds of police personnel. Security forces in the surrounding Okhla area are stopping passing vehicles, checking drivers, and instructing them to switch on dashboard lights a process that has drawn annoyance from local residents.
Despite the administration establishing a committee to listen to grievances, the hunger strikers remain unsatisfied. Consequently, the university has cancelled its upcoming 106th Foundation Day celebrations as the standoff persists.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.