The Delhi Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Members of Parliament (MPs) for alleged trespassing at the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) university campus. The legal action follows a formal complaint lodged by the university authorities after the lawmakers entered the campus to engage with students currently participating in an ongoing agitation.
The protests at Jamia Millia Islamia, which commenced on October 12, involve several demands from the student body. These include the formal restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU), the withdrawal of disciplinary actions initiated against protesting students, and the immediate removal of the university’s Chief Proctor. Tensions on the campus were further heightened during the initial days of the demonstration when police personnel attempted to clear the protesters from their assembly point, leading to an escalation of the situation.
Amid these developments, the university administration has been actively seeking a resolution. A seven-member high-level committee of university professors, established on October 18, has been conducting mediation efforts with the student protesters. Following four rounds of discussions, the committee issued a formal appeal on Friday night, requesting that the students end their hunger strike and demonstrations to allow for a return to normalcy.
On Saturday, the university hosted a significant gathering at the Ansari Auditorium lawns, attended by over 1,500 teaching and non-teaching staff members, including Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mazhar Asif and Registrar Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi. During this meeting, faculty and staff expressed deep concern regarding recent incidents of vandalism and the defacement of university walls with slogans described by the administration as highly objectionable.
The university faculty argued that such actions have severely undermined the academic environment and the dignity of the institution, which possesses a 106-year history. Consequently, the gathering unanimously adopted two resolutions. First, the employees urged the protesters to vacate the Ghalib statue lawns, which the administration claims were illegally occupied, and move back to the designated protest site at Gate No. 18. Second, the staff resolved to initiate a cleaning and repainting drive to cover slogans they deemed detrimental to the country’s integrity and security.
The historical context of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union remains a point of contention in the current dispute. The union was suspended in 2006 by the university administration following a series of recurring incidents, which included violent clashes on campus, physical attacks on faculty members, and frequent disruptions to academic classes.
As the standoff continues, the involvement of the Members of Parliament has added a layer of political complexity to the university’s internal crisis. While the administration maintains that the presence of the MPs amounted to trespassing, the student agitators have continued to press for their core demands. The university authorities are now focused on implementing the resolutions passed by the staff gathering, aiming to restore peace and the standard academic atmosphere on the campus while dealing with the fallout of the ongoing protests.
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