New Delhi, Oct. 26 -- An FIR over the ongoing student protest at Jamia Millia Islamia has alleged unauthorised entry by Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood, locking of the Political Science department building by outsiders and damage to university property.
The FIR, registered at Jamia Nagar police station on October 25 on a complaint by Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi, pertains to incidents during the agitation that began on October 12 over demands for the restoration of the students' union. According to the complaint, Pratapgarhi allegedly entered the university campus on October 21 after breaking the lock of Gate No. 4A, while Masood entered on October 23 by scaling a boundary wall near Gafoor Nagar with the help of a ladder. The complaint also mentions the visit of Samajwadi Party MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, who was detained while on his way to the campus, and refers to several other political leaders who came to the protest site without prior intimation to the university administration.
A key incident cited in the complaint took place on October 24, when outside persons allegedly occupied and locked the Department of Political Science building, obstructing normal academic activities. The registrar alleged that unauthorised persons had entered the campus and interfered with the functioning of the institution. The complaint further refers to the entry of people who were neither students nor university employees, defacement of university walls with objectionable graffiti, damage to property and alleged manhandling of employees, who sustained injuries. The FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with criminal trespass, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, mischief, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and common intention. Provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, and the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 2007, have also been invoked. The protest began on October 12, with students demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU), whose elections have not been held since 2006, and the withdrawal of disciplinary action against protesters.
Amid escalating tensions, the university had shifted classes across all courses to online mode, citing concerns over the safety and security of students. The Students' Federation of India (SFI), Jamia unit, has alleged that police detained students outside Gate No. 7 and that university officials attempted to forcibly remove protesters, dismantle their tents and drag women students during a confrontation. These allegations could not be independently verified. The university has maintained that Gate No. 18 is the designated site for protests and described the agitation at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawns as an unauthorised occupation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.