‘Forcibly removed’: Jamia students staging hunger strike face rustication, campus ban

Students on hunger strike demanding the restoration of Jamia Millia Islamia’s students’ union elections alleged they were “forcibly removed” from the protest site around 5.30 a.m. on Saturday, triggering further protests. The administration, however, denied using force and said the students were asked to vacate the spot as they were protesting outside the designated area.

Several students have been staging a hunger strike since October 12 demanding the restoration of student union elections that were last held in 2006.

The university authorities initiated disciplinary action against two students, who initiated the strike. On Saturday, Ebin Basil, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) unit general secretary at JMI, said he received a one-year rustication notice while Jasim Ali, a postgraduate student, got a six-month campus ban order.

The Jamia unit of the NSUI, in a statement, said, “Approximately 60 security guards, accompanied by the chief proctor and security advisor, arrived at the protest site and forcibly dragged away the students.”

Students ‘detained’

Students also alleged that at least 12 protesters were detained by the police while staging a demonstration against their forcible removal.

However, a senior police officer said they were “removed” from the campus gate for “destroying public property” and released in the evening without any charges.

The administration announced that the campus will remain closed for five days to celebrate the upcoming festivals.

‘Supressing dissent’

The action comes amid growing concern among Delhi students over a shrinking space for dissent. Activists have highlighted the recent denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site, daily detentions, and the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) across parts of the capital.

JMI has not held student union elections since 2006, when they were dissolved following campus violence. A university spokesperson said, “We have received no written representation regarding the matter. Over the years, elections have evolved and we conduct department-centric student elections, which have served the campus well.”

Last year, a controversy erupted in February when 14 students were detained by the police from inside the campus for allegedly vandalising public property and disturbing law and order. The students were protesting against administrative clampdowns on democracy and freedom of speech inside the campus.

Since then, the university has doubled down on protests on campus. In October last year, the university earmarked one spot near gate number 18 as the designated protest site, leaving the rest of campus “out of bounds” for protests. 

(With inputs from Lavpreet Kaur)