Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Two students of Jamia Millia Islamia were on Wednesday detained by Delhi Police and taken to an undisclosed location, amid escalating tensions over the ongoing students’ union agitation. The detentions came after widespread vandalism, stone-pelting and damage to university infrastructure were reported on campus late Tuesday night.
The detained students were identified as Faizan, the NSUI unit president at the university, and Zeeshan, former national head of NSUI’s social media wing.
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The unrest follows protests demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU), whose elections have not been held since 2006.
The students have been seeking a definite election date, a timeline for approval of the union’s constitution and the withdrawal of disciplinary action initiated against protesters.
GOVT FORMS 7-MEMBER PANEL
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday condemned the violence as “completely unacceptable” and announced the formation of a seven-member high-level committee comprising senior deans and professors to examine the students’ demands.
“This issue has persisted since 2006; no elections have been held since then,” Joshi said, adding that those involved in the previous night’s violence were “certainly not students” and describing the incident as the work of “some hooligans”.
He said the committee would also examine cases involving action taken against individuals and address instances where such action was found to be unfair.
Joshi appealed for calm, saying negotiations were underway and no one should attempt to create a law-and-order situation on campus.
VIOLENCE AT JAMIA CAMPUS
According to the university administration, groups of protesting students, allegedly accompanied by locals, breached boundary walls, damaged gates and brought down Gate No. 4C.
Stones were allegedly pelted at the premises, while the CCTV control room, cameras and their connections were damaged.
The administration said masked protesters also approached the boys’ hostels to mobilise additional support.
It expressed concern over the damage, particularly as efforts to negotiate with students had continued on Tuesday evening.
The agitation, which began on October 12, intensified after students rejected the administration’s October 26 order providing for elections within 15 days of approval of the union’s constitution.
Students have maintained that the decision does not provide a firm deadline for approving the constitution or announcing the polls.
They have also opposed the shift to online classes and the closure of campus facilities, arguing that these measures have disrupted academic activities and affected access to libraries and reading rooms.
Meanwhile, Jamia teachers have expressed concern over the disruption of academic activities and alleged that political actors and outsiders were attempting to escalate the agitation.
Student organisations, including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), have accused the administration and police of restricting access and detaining protesters.
The newly constituted committee is expected to examine the students’ grievances, while negotiations and heightened security measures are likely to remain central to efforts to resolve the standoff.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
