Jamia students re-erect protest camp a day after eviction

Jamia students renewed protests to restore their union, suspended since 2006, citing campus restrictions; the university says it was halted after violence.

New Delhi: Protests demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU), suspended since 2006, continued on Sunday as students re-erected a camp near Gate No. 7, where they had been agitating since October 12, before being evicted on Saturday.

Jamia students re-erect protest camp a day after eviction

Students said JMISU is needed because elected subject association representatives allegedly failed to raise students’ concerns about inadequate hostel infrastructure, restricted access to sports complex facilities and the engineering department auditorium, and mandatory approval to organise group on-campus activities.

Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI) national president Vinod Jhakar joined the protest on Sunday.

The protest began after three students launched a hunger strike at Gulistan-i-Ghalib Garden near Gate No. 7. The university suspended the three students on Friday evening.

The JMI administration has maintained that Gate No. 18 is the designated protest site. The university also closed two libraries—Dr. Zakir Husain Library and the Old Library—on Sunday, citing security concerns. Several university gates remained closed, with barricades and Delhi police personnel deployed outside the campus.

A 22-year-old postgraduate History student, who did not wish to be named, said that whenever even five to 10 students gather anywhere on campus, the proctor starts “interfering”.

“We wanted to organise Transgender Day of Remembrance near gate no. 18, but permission was denied. We can’t even organise study circles to discuss books or hold academic discussions. The security guards are always on high alert whenever they see students gathering in groups,” the student said.

HT reached out to the JMI administration for comment but did not receive a response.

A law student, requesting anonymity, alleged that sports complex and gym facilities are restricted for students without a sports quota. “When students are free on Saturdays and Sundays, the sports complex is closed. Otherwise, on weekdays as well, preference is given to students from sports quota,” the student added.

Another student, who asked not to be named, said the university has designated an area near Gate No. 18 as the protest site, but the location is so far from the administrative building and the vice-chancellor’s office that the protest is practically out of sight.

“As long as the protest remains peaceful and does not disrupt academic activities, why should students be forced to demonstrate in a place where their voices are unlikely to be heard?,” said the 22-year-old master’s student at JMI.

The JMI administration had said it discontinued the students’ union in 2006 after frequent incidents of violence and disruption on campus. It added that the university established an alternative mechanism through subject associations to ensure student representation in the university’s decision-making process.