Jamia students protest against RSS event marking 100 years

Around 60 JMI students protested against an RSS centenary event, claiming it promotes "saffronisation" in education, while the university called it academic.

New Delhi: Around 60 Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) students staged a four-hour-long protest against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS’s) centenary event at the campus on Tuesday, alleging that the event represented the “saffronisation” of educational institutions.

The university administration, however, said the programme was an academic event that focused on the Indian knowledge system (HT)

The university administration, however, said the programme was an academic event that focused on the Indian knowledge system, culture, and the role of youth in promoting and preserving these traditions.

The event was held on April 28 at Jamia Millia Islamia’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology to mark 100 years of the RSS.

Calling the event an attempt to “saffronise” educational institutions, the students held placards reading “Reject RSS in Educational Institutions,” “Jamia is Our University, Not Your Shakha,” and “Reject Saffronisation of Our Campus,” voicing their opposition to the programme amidst heavy deployment of security personnel.

“We are not against the celebration of 100 years, but such events should not be held in educational institutions. It began at Delhi University, then Jawaharlal Nehru University, and has now reached Jamia. This, we feel, reflects an attempt by the RSS to enter spaces where there is resistance to its ideas and to influence or ‘tame’ student voices,” said Saiyed,Delhi state president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and a master’s student at JMI.

Another masters student, 23-year-old Mantasha, alleged that the event was organised with considerable secrecy, suggesting that otherwise the protest against it would have been even stronger.

“This is the first big RSS event of its kind in Jamia’s history, and it was organised with considerable secrecy, as greater student mobilisation might have led to stronger resistance,” said Mantasha. “We don’t want to normalise RSS intervention in minority institutions,” she added.

Commenting on the protest, the administration said it was an academic programme and that it was up to the students whether they wanted to attend it.

“The administration follows two key criteria for allowing any event: it must be academic in nature and must receive approval from at least two professors. The same procedure was followed for the “Yuva Kumbh” event, which focused on today’s youth — particularly GenZ — and their role in carrying forward the legacy of the Indian knowledge system and culture,” said an official from JMI administration, on the condition of anonymity.

“Half of the campus is empty as semester exams are scheduled to start, and it was up to students if they wanted to attend the event,” the official added.

An associate professor at JMI, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that university spaces should remain open to all kinds of ideas.