JMI students cry foul over wall being built near protest site

New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) students on Friday alleged the university administration started building a wall to block two gates near a protest site to limit the gathering demanding a students’ union

New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) students on Friday alleged the university administration started building a wall to block two gates near a protest site to limit the gathering demanding a students’ union.

The university, however, said the construction was part of restoration work and unrelated to the protest. (HT Archive)

They said the construction is underway near Gate 7 and Gate 10 near the Ibn Sina Library.

The university, however, said the construction was part of restoration work and unrelated to the protest.

“A few gates required maintenance, and the construction of the wall is part of the restoration work. This has nothing to do with the protest. It is a measure to ensure safety and security on the university campus,” Jamia’s chief public relations officer, Saima Saeed, told HT.

Saurabh Tripathi, secretary of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) at Jamia, alleged that the administration had increased surveillance and security deployment in response to the agitation.

“On October 17, when students on a hunger strike were forcibly removed and the protest intensified. The students crossed both Gate 10 and Gate 7,” Tripathi said.

He alleged that whenever a student movement in Jamia has grown bigger, the administration increases surveillance and restricts movement. It’s just like fortification and militarisation of the campus,” he alleged.

Ebin Basil, 22, who has been on hunger strike since October 12, said construction had begun on two gates. He said the gates were primarily used for emergencies but had recently been used by students joining the protest.

“They have started covering two gates near the protest site by building a wall this morning,” Basil said.

“There’s a possibility the administration might detain us or get us admitted to a hospital citing health concerns. Since these gates will be blocked, they can easily restrict student movement inside,” he alleged.

The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), in a statement, criticised the construction and said students’ demands for the restoration of a students’ union are necessary to ensure democratic representation on campus.

The indefinite hunger strike, which began on October 12, has escalated into a major campus standoff between the administration and the students. The university has set up a committee to draft the students’ union constitution, whose elections were last held in 2006. However, students have stuck to their demand to notify the elections and hold them soon.