12 Jamia students detained for protesting over disciplinary action; university says they are violating rules

According to the protesting students, they were made to leave campus after which police detained them at 5 am; they were then taken to different police stations in Southeast Delhi. The Delhi Police confirmed that the students were detained but maintained that its personnel did not enter the campus.

The Indian Express reached out to Naved Jamal, Chief Proctor; Quamrul Hassan, Chief Media Officer; and Mazhar Asif, the Vice-Chancellor, for a comment and received no response. Police sources told The Indian Express on Thursday that all detained students were released.

The university administration, citing disruption to academic activities and damage to university property, said in a statement Thursday morning, “This handful of students have, in the last two days, vandalised university property, including the central canteen, and also broke the gate of the security advisor’s office, forcing the JMI administration to take action. They have violated

other university rules and were found carrying objectionable contraband items. The university administration… has taken preventive measures so the university continues to conduct classes and other academic activities as normal.”

“… today morning, the university administration and the Proctorial team removed students from the site of the protest and they have been evicted from the campus. The police have been requested to maintain law and order situation,” the statement added.

Members of Left students’ groups have been protesting against show-cause notices issued by the varsity last year to students who had organised a CAA-NRC observance day in December.  The university formed a disciplinary committee to look into allegations of sloganeering at the said event, which is scheduled to review the students’ role on February 25.

On December 1 last year, JMI had said “no protests, dharnas, and raising slogans against any constitutional dignitaries shall be allowed on any part of the University campus” and warned of disciplinary action. Official sources had told The Indian Express that the notification was issued after a few Left-wing organisations held a protest against the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal over a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.

At the centre of the latest demonstrations is a suspension letter issued to student activist Sakhi, president of the Students’ Federation of India JMI Unit, which accused her of violating university rules.

SFI, in a statement Thursday, said the charges against her include disobeying faculty instructions, damaging property, and engaging in conduct deemed “unbecoming of a student”.

Students contended that these accusations are baseless, and part of an ongoing effort by the administration to silence calls for campus rights, including improved hygiene facilities, better food quality, and academic freedom.

The protest was also fuelled by opposition to a 2022 office memorandum that prohibits gatherings of more than five students without prior approval from the administration. Student parties on campus argued that this memorandum functions as a de facto restriction on demonstrations, academic discussions, and even informal cultural gatherings such as book readings and poetry sessions.

“Jamia has turned into a space where any form of student engagement is labelled as misconduct,” a protesting student said.

“The administration responded with a forceful eviction of the demonstrators. Following the eviction, university authorities called for police assistance to maintain order on campus. The protest and subsequent crackdown have reignited discussions about student representation at Jamia, which has not held student union elections for nearly two decades,” another protesting student told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity.