Rating rise good reply to detractors: Jamia V-C says, two years after violence

Jamia was accredited with an A++ rating by the NAAC (National Accreditation and Assessment Council) on Tuesday, a score that vice-chancellor said was a ‘good response’ to those who thought the central university would not recover after the December 2019 violence

Jamia Millia Islamia vice chancellor professor Najma Akhtar on Wednesday said the university’s improved NAAC rating was a “good response” to those who thought that the university would not recover after the violence on and near the campus on December 15, 2019, during protests against the Citizenship (amendment) Act.

Security personnel outside Jamia Millia Islamia. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

Jamia was accredited with an A++ rating by the NAAC (National Accreditation and Assessment Council) on Tuesday. The central university has improved its rating from 3.09 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and an ‘A’ grade which was awarded by NAAC in the last cycle in 2015. The new CGPA stands at 3.61. The ranking comes after a NAAC peer team review was conducted at the university between 6- 8 December. This was the second cycle of assessment by NAAC which gives an A++ grade to an institution that gets 3.51 and higher score. It is the highest grade in its CGPA range.

“The NAAC rating is a good response to whatever injustice that had happened with us. This is a response of a civilized society,” Akhtar said at a press conference.

“Jamia has moved on and stepped ahead since the day when students were thrashed on the campus. We were with our students back then, and continue to back them. This (improvement in NAAC rating) is an aggressive response that shows that we were not defeated that day,” she said.

The Delhi Police stormed the Jamia campus on December 15, 2019, beating up students and damaging the varsity property after protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, in the nearby New Friends Colony area took a violent turn, leaving at least 200 people injured and several public and private vehicles as well as public property damaged. The police claim they entered the campus on the heels of a violent mob that took refuge inside it.

Recalling the events that unfolded at the university campus, the VC said that the university stood strong despite the turmoil. “Today is a day of remembrance for us. Despite the events of December 2019, we stood up and stepped ahead. All students who got hurt that day have moved on. We will silently remember the day but will also celebrate the fact that we didn’t get demoralized that day. Police barged into the university and thrashed students that day but we were not defeated,” said Akhtar.

Following the events of December 15, the university has strengthened security on-premises and regulated the entry of outsiders more strictly. The Delhi Police erased the protest graffiti last year, whatever little remained was wiped out earlier this month. Students say that through the erasure of the graffiti, the administration had removed the last traces that were a testimony to the events of December 2019.

Tasneem Zehra, 21, a postgraduate student of the varsity, said, “Back in 2019, we felt that we could voice our concerns and take a stand for the things we believed in. Amid the pandemic, with classes happening virtually and students not being able to meet frequently, there has been a setback when it comes to the expression of political thought. The graffiti within the campus has been erased. It’s unfortunate and the university no longer feels like a space where we can freely express our political views,” said Zehra.

When asked if the university had any space for political expression, Akhtar said that the university had only carried out a cleanliness drive ahead of the NAAC review. “The police got the graffiti removed in an unclean manner. So, right before the visit of the NAAC team, we carried out the annual cleanliness drive around the campus to fix things,” said Akhtar.

She added that the university did not have a student union, but it continues to engage with students through an alternative mechanism. “I believe that there should always be a students union. Since the matter of students union is subjudice, we have an alternative arrangement in place. We have student committees for different courses and we continue to engage with these students,” said Akhtar