Jamia Millia Islamia University, is perhaps, an example of an administration that’s not keyed into the feelings or politics of its students. Students staged a protest against an Iftar party organised by Muslim Rashtriya Manch, the RSS’s Muslim wing, on Monday evening. The MRM had invited RSS leader and patron Indresh Kumar as the chief guest at the Iftar party in the university even as Kumar had only recently been cleared in the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast case.

Several students and organisations had written a memorandum to the Vice Chancellor, asking that the event be cancelled. “How can the administration provide university space for organising Iftar party by RSS and invite a blast convict as chief guest ?,” asked Vani S, a PhD student. Students organised a ‘counter Iftar party’ on the same day, between 6 pm and 8 pm outside gate number seven. “There was a meeting yesterday and we were told  to bring food on our own. Holding placards and breaking fast were the modes of protest we decided,” said Amjad Karunagappally, implying that the protest was initially planned to be peaceful, unlike what it eventually turned into.

A massive contingent of police and security were already in place by the time the students arrived. Students were additionally screened and asked for their identification cards to enter the campus. Some students allege that those inside the hostel were restrained by the security guards.

Initially, there were less than 20 students gathered outside the in order to take part in counter iftar. But, the on seeing the huge force deployed outside the university, students ran around and mobilized others. “We never expected such a massive police force. Now I have no idea where is this going,” said Shuhaib Nazar.

Within minutes, around 150 protesters bused to demonstrate against the event. As the slogans ‘Indresh Kumar go back’ and ‘RSS go back’, pierced the air, black flags were being waved by the protestors. “Even if the varsity administration heed to RSS agenda to saffronise the campus, we, the Jamia students will not allow this at any cost,” Farhan Ahmed, a PhD student told Newslaundry. But even as the students were stopped by the police -Kumar, ensconced inside said triple talaq is a sin and suggested that eating meat was a disease.

However, the protesters couldn’t go far as they were immediately stopped by the police barricades. Traffic was interrupted for almost twenty minutes. As students continued sloganeering, police created a human chain and allowed vehicles pass.

Meanwhile, rumours spread through social media that the students were lathicharged. This was later discovered to be untrue. By breaking the barricades, six students tried to reach the venue. They were met by the police who hit them and dragged them to their vehicles. These six students, later identified as Laraib, Manzar Imam, Imran Kranthi, Waquir Azam, Muhammad Danish and Muhammed Ali were detained in New Friends Colony police station. “We were brutally beaten up and the police was also shouting at the chief proctor for not disciplining the students,” Manzar Imam told us after they were released.

Meanwhile the event went well inside the sports complex. This was an especially clever move by the police. The sports complex has only one entrance, which was closed and had several people cordoning it off. Even the media was denied entry into the venue.

As no vehicle entered after 6:30 pm, and the gate was only opened at 7:45 to allow two cars to leave, it is safe to say Kumar was already inside the venue well before its start time. Hoping to get an quote, a few journalists, who were still waiting outside rushed inside the building. But there was no one, except for the cleaners.

The program convener,  Anish Ahmed, agreed to talk to us. When asked about the allegations raised by students regarding the saffronising of the campus, he said “we all broke our fast with cow milk which is good for health. This iftar party has been held to uphold the harmony between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. We don’t have any hidden political agenda as the students who protest outside allege”. On asking why Kumar was invited, he declined to answer. It was later reported that the Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad was not present at the event.