Five students at Jamia Millia Islamia continued their hunger strike for a 13th day on Saturday, refusing to end their protest until Jamia restores its students’ union. The dispute has widened after disciplinary action against protesters, allegations of a crackdown and a row over “Free Kashmir” graffiti, even as the administration has appointed a committee to draft a union constitution.
The indefinite protest began on October 12. Student Jasim Ali Khan, who says he has been fasting since the first day, told ANI that the demands now go beyond restoring the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU). Protesters also want disciplinary penalties withdrawn and the university’s chief proctor to resign over the treatment of students during the agitation.
Jamia students demand withdrawal of suspensions and show-cause notices
“Our demands are clear-cut, restoration of the Students’ Union,” Khan said. He accused the administration of cracking down on the demonstration and demanded the withdrawal of suspensions imposed on students.
Another protester, Anas, said four male students and one female student were on hunger strike. He demanded the cancellation of show-cause notices and other action taken by the proctor’s office and disciplinary committee. The protesters, he said, would not stop until their demand for an elected union was met.
Tensions escalated on campus after student protesters alleged that security personnel forcibly removed them on October 17. The university administration has taken stern disciplinary action against several students, issuing suspension and rustication orders. However, agitating students have demanded that the administration completely withdraw these disciplinary measures rather than just putting them under review.
‘Free Kashmir’ graffiti adds to Jamia campus controversy
The agitation has also become caught up in a separate controversy after ‘Free Kashmir’ graffiti appeared on campus walls. Anas denied that the hunger strikers or other protesters had written the slogans and asked the university to examine CCTV footage and identify those responsible.
He said the demonstration had been peaceful and alleged that the controversy was being used to discredit it.
Congress MP Imran Masood, who was briefly detained by Delhi Police on Friday evening while trying to meet the protesters, also rejected claims that such slogans had been raised at the protest. “Kashmir is an integral part of India,” he told ANI. Samajwadi Party MP Mohibullah Nadwi was also detained outside the university, according to a report published on Saturday.
Why Jamia has not held students’ union elections since 2006
Jamia’s students’ union was dissolved in 2006. The university has said repeated clashes, attacks on teachers and disruption of classes led to the decision. It currently holds elections for student representatives within individual departments, but protesters want a university-wide elected body.
On October 18, the administration appointed a seven-member committee to speak with students. It later set up a separate five-member panel to draft a constitution for the proposed union, with a deadline of December 20. The university has also offered to review disciplinary action taken during the protest.
Jamia committee urges students to end hunger strike
In an appeal issued on Friday, the seven-member committee urged students to end the strike. It said an election date could not be announced before the union’s constitution and voting arrangements were settled. The panel did not agree to the demand to remove the chief proctor, instead recommending training and a code of conduct for security staff.
