More than 10 students from Jamia Millia Islamia University were detained by Delhi Police on Thursday on a day of protest at the university after two PhD scholars were disciplined for raising a Kashmir solidarity rally on campus. Detained students had been protesting the decision of the university to issue show cause notices of the two scholars for involvement in the May last year protest against university policies.
Sources say police were called by the university administration in response and removed the protesting students around 4 a.m. “Police have deployed heavy security outside the campus to prevent disruption to law and order and we acted upon a request from the administration,” the police official said.
Demonstrators are protesting what they say is an unjust crackdown on student activism after it began on Monday and was led by students. It was related to the university’s reaction to the ‘Jamia Resistance Day’ function of December 2024 that was held to commemorate the anniversary of the 2019 ‘anti-CAA’ protests. Those who participated in activism on campus accused the administration of suppressing dissent by targeting the activists.
PhD scholars protested that disciplinary measures against them were an attempt to muzzle the voices questioning university policies. They called for the immediate withdrawal of the show cause notices and asked the administration to respect the right of constructing students to protest peacefully.
There is a lot of tension, and the university is still surrounded by police. Violent reports, however, have not been brought out, though student leaders have vowed to continue with their agitation until they get their demands met. The university administration has, however, yet to respond to the detentions or the student’s protests officially.
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