Jamia Millia Islamia students Friday accused the university administration of violating their right to privacy by displaying the personal details of alleged protesters, including their names, photographs, addresses and phone numbers, on campus gates. The university administration, however, is yet to comment on the allegations.
Students claim the administration's move endangers their safety and is an attempt to intimidate those participating in demonstrations against recent disciplinary actions initiated by Jamia Millia Islamia.
"The Jamia administration has crossed all limits by pasting the personal details of protesting students outside the university gates. This is not just a privacy violation, it is an open call for harassment and violence, especially targeting young women," alleged AISA-affiliated student leader Sonakshi Gupta.
Seeking to link the crackdown to broader political developments, she said, "With a BJP government about to take over in Delhi, this isn't just a coincidence. We saw how Jamia students were attacked during the anti-CAA protests. Now, the administration itself is making us vulnerable. Who will take responsibility if something happens to us?"
The controversy began after the university suspended two PhD scholars for allegedly leading an unauthorised protest. Several students claimed that they received suspension notices, citing their alleged involvement in "acts of vandalism, unauthorized protests, and defamation of the university".
The administration defended its actions, stating that protests disrupted academic activities and resulted in property damage, including vandalizing the central canteen and breaking the gate of the security advisor's office. However, student activists argued that the administration was attempting to stifle dissent.
In a post on X, a protester said, "How dare the Jamia administration make the details of its students public? The address and phone numbers have been pasted outside Jamia's gates in gross violation of the privacy of students. Who will be responsible if these students get attacked?"
She attached with the X post a photo of a notice with student information on it, claiming that it has been pasted at the Jamia gates.
The situation at Jamia Millia Islamia escalated on Thursday when more than 10 students were allegedly detained by the Delhi Police in the early hours. Protesters claimed some students remained unaccounted for hours, leading to further unrest. All students were released after nearly 12 hours, but the protest continued.
Some students have also alleged that police contacted their parents, warning them that an FIR could be filed against their children if they continued to participate in protests. A statement from the university administration defended its actions, stating that the protests were disrupting mid-semester academic activities and violating university rules.
"A handful of students unlawfully gathered in the academic block since February 10, preventing others from attending classes and accessing the Central Library. They were found carrying objectionable items and defacing university property," it read.
Former Pro Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Basir Ahmad Khan and former registrar of Jamia Millia Islamia Hasib Ahmad criticized the "detention" of student activists.
"Organising dissent is basic to democracy. Organising peaceful protests is also the students' democratic right.
"Threatening students with disciplinary action was, therefore, uncalled for and the excessive show of power by the administration was in a bad taste. Detaining students, including women students, at 5 am was unnecessary," a statement from them said.
Khan and Ahmad also took exception to a notification issued by the Jamia authorities earlier which stated that "no protests, dharnas, and raising slogans against constitutional dignitaries shall be allowed on any part of the university campus" and had warned of disciplinary action.
The statement from the two academicians said, "Such a notification is totally undemocratic. We plead for an early settlement with students, including restoration of the student union, so that the situation does not escalate further and normalcy is restored in the campus."In response to the university's actions, student protestors have outlined four key demands: revoking the suspension notices issued to the two PhD scholars, repealing the 2022 office memorandum restricting protests on campus, scrapping the Rs 50,000 fine for graffiti and posters, and ensuring no disciplinary action is taken against students for participating in protests.
The university's disciplinary committee is scheduled to meet on February 25 to review the role of the suspended PhD students in organizing "Jamia Resistance Day" on December 15 last year, an annual event marking the 2019 anti-CAA protests.
