Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia university has shifted all courses to online mode amid ongoing campus protests demanding the restoration of the students’ union, which was dissolved in 2006. In an official statement issued on Saturday, the university said the decision was taken to ensure the safety and security of “bonafide students”.
“In view of the ongoing situation and in order to ensure the safety and security of bonafide students in the university campus, the competent authority, JMI has decided to conduct classes of all courses of the university through online mode with immediate effect until further notice,” a notice signed by JMI registrar Mohd Mahtab Alam Rizvi, dated October 24, stated.
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The administration also directed faculty members to facilitate the shift to online classes by providing the necessary academic support and learning materials.
Fresh chaos on JMI campus
Several videos surfaced online on Saturday purportedly showing the removal of a protest camp set up by students at Gulistan-i-Ghalib garden inside the university campus, near Gate no. 7. The videos also appeared to show students being asked to disperse. HT could not independently verify the footage.
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“In the morning, dozens of professors, along with the registrar, held talks with us, but the discussions ended without any satisfactory outcome. We made it clear that the protest would continue until our demands were met,” said 22-year-old Ebin Basil, one of the students who has been on a hunger strike since October 12.
“On the administration’s directions, security guards removed the tent and they moved the students on hunger strike inside the Faculty of Economics building, and called an ambulance to forcibly detain us. But there are students outside the building who aren’t letting them detain us,” Basil added.
An official source familiar with the development confirmed that a group of professors had met the students to persuade them to call off the hunger strike, citing concerns over their health.
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Saurabh Tripathi, a student protester and secretary of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) at Jamia, said the move is aimed at curbing the movement and discouraging more students from joining the protests, even as negotiations with a committee formed by the administration remain underway.
“The Jamia administration has begun assaulting students in the midst of negotiations. The hunger strikers and the protest site are being attacked. They have shifted classes online so that students remain confined to their rooms,” Tripathi added.
Another 22-year-old master’s student, who requested anonymity, alleged that the administration was attempting to divide the student community by using the term “bonafide students”.
“The protest has been going on for around two weeks, and students have remained peaceful. People are joining the movement of their own free will. By claiming that the shift to online classes is aimed at ensuring the safety and security of bonafide students, the administration is only trying to divide students who have united to demand the restoration of the students’ union,” the student said.