Foundation Day At Jamia: Students on Hunger Strike For a Union Denied For 12 Years

NEW DELHI: Jamia Millia Islamia celebrated its 97th Foundation Day with all throb and decor on 29th - 30th of October, 2017. A two day 'Talimi Mela' was opened in the university campus as a part of its Foundation Day gala.

The Chancellor of JMI and Governor of Manipur, Dr Najma Heptullah, who was supposed to be the chief guest could not attend the function due to the reasons unknown. However, in a video message, she expressed her happiness over the progress that Jamia has made since its inception. Vice Chancellor,Prof. Talat Ahmad, who is an earth scientist by profession, spoke about the university's induction in the national and international rankings.

Prof Ahmad, while concluding the lecture, said a few words about the students protesting on the either end of the varsity. They were 'trying to vitiate the atmosphere in the university', Prof Ahmad said.

But this is not what I have to say. I'm not here to tell Prof Ahmad's 'Ten Rules to Win Friends and Influence People'. What I am here for is about the plight of the students who have not had a morsel of food from the past seven days and are living on mere water. They are on hunger strike demanding the re-installation of the students' union.

Established in 1920, during the non-cooperation movement, Jamia Millia Islamia became a central university in 1988 by an act passed by the Parliament of India. After Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU), Jamia Millia is one of the most prominent universities in the country. While the former two institutes held the student body elections a month or two back, Jamia Millia has not had a student's union for the past twelve years; which implies that nearly 14,000 students enrolled in the university do not have any representation of their own.

A member of the Joint Action Committee, Meeran Haider, a research scholar, said, “ decisions by the authorities like the fee hike, scrapping of marksheets, delay and errors in examination results have made us feel powerless. If the Jamia Millia Islamia has a teachers' union, clerics' union, labours' union, then why not for students', who are the bone-marrow of the university.”

Another protesting student A. Naqvi said, “We have very simple and genuine demands. If you would have noticed, every year not more than ten percent of student are allotted hostels, research scholars face delays in receiving their stipends, women get harassed almost ritually, and university authorities deliberately fail students in the examinations. The truth is administration fears that if there comes a union that would speak against them and question their actions. We are ready to sit here for ten, twenty, thirty days until the university bends to our demands: which are basic and genuine.”

The graffiti art can be seen on the walls of the university with slogans: 'Jamia Millia Islamia - A Central Jail', 'Words without power is mere philosophy' and 'Union is a power in the hands of powerless against a suppressive administration'.

Pertinently, Jamia's Teachers Association issued a statement that while they supported students representation in the university, the students should not be prescribed to any political party.

The protesting students counter this argument by saying, “If the students do not learn politics and leadership at the university, then how can you expect them to become leaders of tomorrow.”

However, the administration of the Jamia Millia view the matter as arguable. The reason they give for not holding the student polls is regarding the writ petition No. 917/2012 titled 'Hamidur Rahman vs JMI' filed in the Delhi High Court.

Prof Talat had earlier in an interview with Business Standard said, “I do not have any issue in reinstating the students union but I cannot take a decision because the matter is in the court, and any of my decision (if I take any) would end up in contempt of court.”

Nevertheless, the students are not satisfied with the Vice-Chancellors' answer. They believe the administration is 'lethargic' and trying to escape from their primary functions in the name of honourable court and they don't have any good intentions regarding the student polls. The students argue that Hamidur Rahman and his nine colleagues (who had filed the writ petition) are no longer students of the university, and hence the responsibility lies with the Jamia authorities to hold the polls.

While many media outlets have stated that the protesters had threatened to destroy and disrupt the celebrations of 97th Foundation Day, the JAC members denied the allegations and argued that some unknown people are trying to portray them as fringe elements which is debauchery of the administration.

“It is very unfortunate that while Jamia is celebrating the Foundation Day on one side, we are dying of starvation since the past week. We celebrate the Foundation Day in our own way; we celebrate by protesting or by reciting revolutionary poetry . . . it is vital to mention here that we have never threatened to do any harm to the people or premises of the university,” the students

Moreover, Jawaharlal Nehru University's popular student leader, Umer Khalid, Delhi University's Professor Manoj Jha and many other sitting members of Parliament met with the protesting students and expressed their solidarity.

(Zeeshan Hyder studies English Literature at Jamia Millia Islamia.)