According to news reports, a group of Jamia Milia Islamia students led a protest march against alleged threats and intimidation to Hindu students. One of the organizers of the protest, Rahul Tiwari, has told the media, “Radical organizations on campus were threatening Hindu students after incidents like Kathua rape and AMU controversy. Two students, who are Hindus, were beaten up inside the campus. We organized this march to fight that intimidation.” He also claimed that such radical organizations are not only against Hindus but also against those who do not subscribe to their ideological thoughts. They show intolerance towards all those who don’t support their ideology.
On 8th May, the group of students took out a protest march from Sarai Julena to University Gate- no.7 against threat and intimidation. Students have alleged that one student of the engineering branch was badly beaten. Protesting students raised anti-Pakistan slogans during the march. Some outlets like the Caravan have termed these slogans communal and provocative. After the protests, a Muslim student was beaten badly by the leftist mob in the campus. Allegedly, he was mistaken by the leftist mob to be an RSS supporter.
Meanwhile, the JMI University’s media coordinator told the PTI, “There are no photographs of Jinnah or anything related to it, considering the history of the varsity, the group was intending to incite violence by raising such slogans.”
After the student protests, some other students of Jamia launched a placard campaign displaying statements such as “I AM HINDU, I AM SAFE IN JAMIA.” Students who protested for the Hindu cause have alleged that the students are being forced to write such slogans under peer pressure. They further alleged that many students contacted them and said they are being coerced to do so and they cannot do anything about it as they are under pressure. Students have also alleged that many of the students who are participating in this placard campaign have political affiliations and are active member of leftist student organizations in the campus.
In October 2017, a Law faculty student of Jamia Milia Islamia was allegedly beaten up by fellow students for celebrating Diwali. The victim student, Ajay Kumar Jha, said religious abuses were hurled at him and he was physically assaulted, according to the FIR filed by the student.
Students have alleged that for the past few months attempts are being made to radicalize the Jamia campus. The process is still going unabated. The administration is not doing anything to stop that. The students have further alleged that the administration is not paying any heed to the students who have become victim of this radicalization on campus. Those who protest against this radicalization are beaten up or threatened. Even worse, such students are completely ostracized, they are removed from Department/Branch’s official Whatsapp group. They are ostracized in the classroom as well. The secular ethos of the campus is in danger as clearly evident by the incidents mentioned above. A university is a place of learning, exchange of ideas and thoughts and not of intimidation, coercion and physical assaults.
