New Delhi: Three students of Jamia Millia Islamia, who were on an indefinite hunger strike, are facing the brunt of the administration, with one getting rusticated, two under suspension and a one-year campus ban on all three.
Jasim Khan, a postgraduate student of International Studies, has been suspended for six months and barred from the college for the same period. He is currently under medical treatment after being allegedly beaten by the university security guards
Ebin Basil is rusticated for one year with immediate effect. The two suspended students are Jasim Khan and Rehaan Haider, an MA Social Work student.
The students had launched an indefinite hunger strike demanding the restoration of the university’s students’ union and the resumption of elections, which were discontinued in 2006. The strike call comes weeks after Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) announced students’ union elections following a hunger strike by student Yasir Fahad.
University explains
The Jamia Millia Islamia alleged that the action was taken after students pulled a CCTV camera wire. Further, on September 11, Basil and other students had confronted members of the proctorial team and circulated videos with “misleading accounts” of the incident: reads the order.
“We don’t have an in principle objection to restoring the students’ union. If a formal request is made… upon consideration, a committee would need to examine the matter and assess safeguards against incidents of violence before any decision could be taken,” a university official told Indian Express.
The students’ union was dissolved during the tenure of former vice-chancellor Mushirul Hasan. A university official cited incidents of alleged violence and clashes between students and teachers as among the reasons behind the administration’s stance on restoring a university-wide union.
The official also referred to proceedings before the Delhi High Court in 2022, saying the court had not directed the university to restore the union.
Hunger strike for basic amenities, students’ union
The hunger began on October 12 at Gate No 18, but after student Jasim Khan was picked up by police and left at Sukhdev Vihar, the protesters shifted their demonstration to Gate No 7, near the statue of poet Mirza Ghalib.
The university administration dissolved the elected students’ union, citing campus violence and disturbances, following major unrest that culminated in a physical assault on the vice-chancellor.
“The only system of representation we have is through departmental elections. But the president of the departmental council is the dean or the head of the department. The arbitrary power still rests with the administration, and students do not have much decision-making power in these councils,” Ebin told Maktoob Media.
He said that the university has constantly ignored issues such as fee hikes, basic facilities, corruption in admissions and reservation policies. “There is no response whatsoever,” he said.
The students said that the hunger strike will continue till their voices are heard. “We will continue until our demand is met, even if it means fighting until death. We want our representation; we want a students’ union that can convey our demands to the administration,” Jasim Khan said.
University authorities forcefully remove students
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML)) alleged that the Jamia Millia Islamia administration forcibly removed students on hunger strike from the campus around 5:30 am on Saturday, October 17.
In a post on X, the party alleged that the campus lights were switched off and the protesting students were beaten, manhandled and harassed before being handed over to Delhi Police.
All detained students have since been released.
Condemning the alleged action, CPI(ML) Liberation urged the university administration to stop what it described as repression and restore the students’ union.
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