Jamia Millia Islamia protest: Students reject poll assurance, seek timeline for union elections

The protest demanding restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students Union JMISU entered its 16th day on Tuesday with students refusing to call off their agitation despite the universitys decision to hold elections within 15 days of the approval of the unions constitutionThe protesting students have maintained that the administration must announce a definite date for the polls which have not been held since 2006 and set a timeline for approving the constitutionThe agitation continued a day after the university issued an order stating that students union elections would be held within 15 days of the approval of the unions constitution The order also revoked suspension and showcause notices issued to students during the ongoing protest and provided for a committee to inquire into the conduct of security staff during the agitationHowever the students said the decision fell short of their demands questioning the absence of a deadline for approving the constitutionOur first demand was that student union elections should be revived and dates for polls be declared Rehan Khan one of the students on an indefinite hunger strike had said on MondayThe university has also issued an order to Khan late on Monday asking him to immediately vacate the protest site failing which legal action will be takenThe universitys order 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 during the agitation It directed that such posts be taken down immediately and said the protest would be called off following the issuance of the orderOn Monday scuffles broke out between protesting students and paramilitary personnel as security was tightened on campus Police personnel did not allow the students who raised slogans against the administration to enter the university after classes across all courses were shifted online amid tensionsAt a press conference organised by the Jamia Collective at Syeda Manzil in Jamia Nagar on Monday alumni members of the universitys founding families artists lawyers and student representatives extended solidarity with the protesters and called for the restoration of democratic spaces on campusRepresentatives of NSUI AISF SFI AIDSO AISA and DISHA highlighted the students demands and stressed the need for meaningful dialogue between the administration and the protestersThose who addressed the gathering included academician Siddiquur Rahman Kidwai educationist Syeda Hameed and JMI alumna Sameena MishraIn a statement issued after the gathering participants said students must have a representative platform to raise concerns participate in university affairs and engage meaningfully in campus governance They urged the administration to hold transparent discussions and take concrete steps to resolve the impasseStudent representatives from the Students Federation of India SFI also questioned the role of the universitys security adviser alleging that the post was being used to monitor students involved in protests and raised concerns over the deployment of security personnel on campusThe university had earlier announced the formation of a committee to draft the JMISU constitution and said disciplinary action initiated against students over protestrelated issues would be reviewedIt shifted classes across all courses to online mode on October 24 citing concerns over students safety and security amid escalating tensions at the protest siteOnline classes will continue till November 8 after which the university will reevaluate the situation according to a notice issued on MondayThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever