A six-day hunger strike demanding the restoration of the student union at Jamia Millia Islamia escalated into a campus dispute on Saturday after university security personnel removed the protesting students, followed by renewed demonstrations, disciplinary action and the deployment of police and paramilitary forces at the university’s gates.
The students had been protesting near Gate 7 at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib Lawn since the evening of 12 October. According to the report, around five students were on hunger strike. The protest intensified after students alleged that security personnel forcibly removed them from the site at about 5:30 am on Saturday. They claimed that around 100 security personnel reached the protest location from behind the mosque gate and took the students towards Gate 7 before they were sent to hospital by ambulance.
The students alleged that some protesters were dragged and assaulted during the removal. They also accused security personnel of pulling hair and hitting one student in the abdomen. Around six students reportedly suffered minor injuries. Videos of the incident were also circulated on social media, although the report does not independently establish the circumstances shown in those videos.
The university administration rejected the allegations and said that two students had been taken to hospital after their health deteriorated. The administration’s account came as the dispute widened across the campus. Around 300 students reportedly gathered in the evening and attempted to resume the protest. Several students were detained by security personnel and handed over to the police, according to the report.
The university also shut off electricity supply across the campus as a precaution amid the tension between students and the administration. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed at almost all the gates. Later in the day, students resumed demonstrations at Gate 7, and some entered the campus. Student protesters marched towards the vice-chancellor’s gate while carrying posters of the vice-chancellor and registrar. The demonstration continued late into the night.
The dispute is linked to the students’ demand for the restoration of the Jamia student union, which they described as a 20-year-old issue. One of the protesters, Evin, returned to the protest site and announced that the hunger strike would continue. The protesters demanded an independent inquiry into the entire sequence of events, including the removal of the hunger strikers and the alleged conduct of security personnel.
The university has meanwhile taken disciplinary action against three students. Mohammed Jasim was banned from the campus for six months over allegations including unauthorised entry on 12 October, misbehaviour with security personnel, abusive language, indiscipline and absence. Evin, a student of the BA LLB (Honours) programme, was suspended and banned from the campus for one year. Another student, Rehan, was also suspended.
The immediate dispute leaves several operational questions for the university, including the basis for the disciplinary measures, the handling of student protests, the circumstances surrounding the hospitalisation of the students and the proposed independent inquiry. The report does not include details of any further official meeting or announced timeline for resolving the demand for restoration of the student union.
