Protests continue at Delhi’s Jamia Millia after evening of violence, students boycott classes

On October 11, five students of Jamia Millia Islamia were served a showcause notice for holding a silent protest against the participation of Israel in an event on the campus. Sensing the students’ disapproval, the organisers of Global Health Zenith Confluence had reportedly removed Israel as the country partner of the event, but still invited Israeli delegates. 

On Tuesday, the ninth day of the protest, almost a thousand students marched towards the vice chancellor’s office and gheraoed it, claiming the administration wasn’t responding to their woes. For the previous eight days, the students had been organising sit-in demonstrations. “Vice chancellor murdabad!” they shouted. Down with the vice chancellor. The students claim the administration didn’t even make an attempt to engage with the protesters. 

In the evening on Tuesday, the protesters were attacked by a group of people who they alleged were backed by the administration. Two of the five students on notice, including a woman, were beaten up and manhandled.

In response, later that night, a message asking students to boycott classes as an act of solidarity with the protesters started doing the rounds on student groups and social media.

Sadaf Taj, a student of the Fine Arts, decided to skip class today after watching the videos of protesters being beaten up. “All my friends are here, and we have decided to not attend classes until action is taken against the goons who attacked the students yesterday,” she said. If teachers ask, we will not shy away from telling them that we’re supporting our fellow students in their fight. I boycotted today’s class in protest against the administration for sending hired bouncers to dismantle the peaceful protest. The boys were injured and admitted in hospital and the girls were mishandled. Can it get more shameful on the part of the administration?” 

Ziaul Haq, a student at the Centre of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, claimed, “There has not been a word from the vice chancellor because she herself is the writer as well as director of this mishappening. Can you imagine a vice chancellor sending a group of students to thrash other students?” 

“It is extremely shameful that girls were manhandled by the goons of the Jamia administration yesterday,” said Shabnam, a student who was among the female students that were allegedly manhandled. 

Al Ameen, a student who was allegedly beaten up yesterday, said, “One of our friends was beaten up so badly that he is in the ICU. The people who beat us up look like paid goons who came here with the sole goal of destroying our protest. They used belts to beat us. They also threw flower vases towards some of our fellow protesters.”

Arjun Ramachandran, one of the students on notice, said, “We had held a symbolic protest on October 5 against a programme which involved Israel’s participation. We asked our fellow students for support and we have got a lot of support yesterday and today, therefore, we are here outside the vice chancellor’s office to demand an answer for their arbitrary actions.” He added, “We want to show the administration that the students are united.” 

Anas Jamal, another of the students on notice, said, “The reason we protested against the participation of Israel in Jamia is that the foundation of Jamia Millia Islamia is against it. One of our founding members, Maulana Ali Jauhar, was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and was against Israel. We consider Israel to be a war criminal state. It is within our rights to protest such participation but it’s not justified for the administration to scare us with legal intimidation.” 

A statement released by the Jamia administration on Wednesday said, “A group of students backed by some student organisations gheraoed the vice chancellor’s office, laid siege to the office complex and physically blocked all the gates of exit. A group of senior teachers and officials of the university met the agitating students and listened to their concerns patiently and requested them to lift their siege on the administrative complex. Teachers also assured them that their demands given in the memorandum will be discussed…but they refused.”

The students claim otherwise, saying nobody from the administration reached out to them.