Weeks after violence, semester exams begin at Jamia

In the meantime, the Jamia Coordination Committee — formed to coordinate protests on campus after the police action — gave a call to students to commence academics

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Semester examinations began at Jamia Millia Islamia Thursday, in the midst of continuing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens at the gates of the university.

Exams in the university were supposed to have concluded before December 24, 2019 but after the university became a site of police violence, the winter vacations were brought forward and all exams were postponed. Exams began for four masters programmes on Thursday. However, some students of one course — MA in Tourism and Travel Management — decided to boycott their examination.

They submitted a memorandum to the administration stating that they would continue to boycott their examinations till their demands are met.

Their demands are “accountability of vice-chancellor”; “administration enquiry and support”; “assurance of safety”; free legal aid to students against whom FIRs have been lodged; FIRs against police personnel who had been part of the police action on campus; and reimbursement for medical expenses of injured students.

“We had almost 100 per cent attendance for the other MA papers conducted Thursday. A sizeable number of students of MA Tourism and Travel Management didn’t want to give their exam. We told them that if they are not yet in a ready mental state to give their exam, it is alright and the exam will be conducted for them at a later date,” said Jamia PRO Ahmad Azeem.

In the meantime, the Jamia Coordination Committee — formed to coordinate protests on campus after the police action — gave a call to students to commence academics: “We must continue to educate and organise ourselves, and continue to agitate against all forms of injustice. We shall not let them disrupt our education… We must come back to our university and focus on intensifying the movement against CAA, NRC and NPR.”