Jamia Shifts Classes Online After Student Protest Clash
Tensions rise over demands to restore student union elections as the university and protesters offer conflicting accounts of the confrontation.
- Jamia shifts classes online after campus clash
- Students demand restoration of union elections
- University and AISA dispute accounts of confrontation
- CPI(M) MP raises issue with Education Minister
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 24th Oct: Jamia Millia Islamia has shifted classes online after a clash between protesting students and security guards on campus, amid an ongoing demand for the restoration of student union elections.
The confrontation reportedly began when security guards moved to remove tents where students had gathered, including some who were on a hunger strike. The protest began on October 12 and centres on demands to restore the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU), which was disbanded in 2006 following campus violence that disrupted academic activities.
University Registrar Mahtab Alam Rizvi alleged that Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood, who visited the campus a day earlier, had entered by jumping over a wall and disturbed the campus environment. He claimed their actions had heightened tensions and made students vulnerable to political narratives. The university has filed a complaint with Delhi Police, according to Rizvi.
Students and Administration Give Different Accounts
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) alleged that the administration acted against students on hunger strike without provocation. The university administration has rejected the allegations, leaving the circumstances surrounding the confrontation disputed.
The shift to online classes comes as the campus faces heightened tensions over student representation and recent reports of anti-national slogans appearing on university walls. The slogans were linked to Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the BJP to demand an investigation.
Demand for Elected Student Union
The issue has also reached Parliament. In a letter dated October 21 to Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, CPI(M) MP John Brittas raised concerns about the absence of an elected student union at Jamia for nearly two decades.
Brittas referred to constitutional protections for freedom of speech and association, University Grants Commission guidelines on student rights and the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations on student elections.
The university has yet to resolve the dispute over restoring student union elections, while the latest confrontation has renewed attention on campus governance and students’ demands for elected representation.
