Scuffles broke out between protesting students and paramilitary personnel at Jamia Millia Islamia on Monday as the students refused to end their agitation for restoration of students’ union elections despite the university issuing an order for the polls earlier in the day.
Some protesters were detained and security was beefed up as police personnel did not allow the students, who raised slogans against the administration, to enter the campus as the university had shifted classes across all courses to online mode in view of the nearly two-week-long protest. It also revoked suspension and show-cause notices issued to students during the ongoing protest and provided for a committee to inquire into the conduct of security staff during the agitation. The university earlier on Monday ordered that students’ union elections be held within 15 days of the approval of the union’s constitution.
“Our first demand was that student union elections should be revived and dates for polls be declared,” he said, questioning the absence of a deadline for the approval of the constitution. “The notice provided by the university is them trying to distract us, but we will not go back until our demands are met,” Khan told PTI.
The university’s order followed consideration of a demand letter submitted by the hunger-striking students and their delegates. It also stated that the protesting students had agreed to issue a public apology at a press conference for defamatory statements, actions or social media posts against the administration and remove such posts from social media platforms.
