Adnan and Saher Hiba Khan
Jamia Millia Islamia students gathered at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday to protest the arbitrary suspension of 17 students for participating in campus demonstrations.
The protest, backed by student groups like Fraternity, AISA, CRJD, SIO, NSUI, SFI, AIRSO, AIDSO, and JNUSU, called for the immediate revocation of suspensions and an end to disciplinary actions against student activists.
The university had recently suspended two PhD scholars for allegedly organizing ‘Jamia Resistance Day’ on December 15, marking the anniversary of the 2019 protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). A disciplinary committee is set to review their case on February 25. Protesters argue this is part of a larger crackdown on student activism.
Speaking at the protest, student leader Anjan Azad said the fight is much bigger than just Jamia. “If we look at the past five years, every major resistance has started from here. Back then, we fought to protect secularism; today, we are fighting to save democracy. Jamia has always stood for core values and shown the way forward. That is why students from across universities, civil society members, and progressive democratic groups are standing in solidarity.”
The protest itself faced hurdles, as the police initially denied permission for the demonstration.
“Except for ABVP, all student organizations are standing with us. First, we were denied completely, and then we were given just an hour to protest,” Azad said.
Jamia Students are now preparing to take legal action against what they call unjust disciplinary measures. “We have reached out to our legal advocates, and they are drafting a petition, which will be filed soon. The petition will challenge the memorandum, the suspension letters, the campus ban, and the breach of privacy—all on constitutional grounds. We are also demanding ‘Walls of Democracy’ on campus, as we currently have no space to express ourselves—even posters are not allowed,” Azad further added.
