*Attack on Idea of University and the Larger politics*

Universities are considered to be an open space for debate and dissent , for
upholding political thoughts and Ideologies. The Idea of university must be of a
critical one but recent years have shown a total different picture. There has been
a continuous attack the university spaces and academia throughout the country.
Jamia Millia Islamia being a minority status central university has always been a
target . The regimes and the state has always tried to capture the university
spaces because these are the spaces where people start questioning thing when
they are exposed to multiple narratives. The state and the govt always, in order
to propagate its narrative, tries to capture the universities.
Jamia has dual attack on it for being a central university in Delhi and secondly a
minority institution. From batla house encounter to Mr. Narendra Modi tagging
jamia as a nurturing ground for terrorists, there has always been an attempt
to stigmatize Jamia Millia Islamia and a particular community long attached
with it . Coming to thr recent events in this current saffron regime, There has
been an IB-police raid in the hostel campus of jamia on 13th aug 2016.. Some IB
officials in civil uniform accompanied by delhi police personnels entered the
campus and started asking the students at the hostels whether they know any
kashmiri students ..This created a sense of fear and choas in the mind of the
students of jamia and triggered a a huge students protest that continued for
around 5 day at gate 7 of the jamia campus . The students demanded
clarifications as to why police entered the campus and also sought apology for
the same. There were difference between the answer of various officials of jamia
administration, however they denied of any permission being given to the police
for entering the campus ...Administration apologized for that act of severe
violation of rules and procedures and for failing to Safegaurd the university
students and they assured that such kind of things will not happen in future . A
complaint was filed regarding the police entering the campus.
Jamia has been different since then, the fear that engulfed in the students of jamia
remains till today and had led to a political consciousness among the students.
Every year when the whole country is moving towards the eve of independence,
Jamia remains under fear of raids and surveillance.
Pitics of the larger plot affects the institutions and universities and jamia is has
always been its target . However, People struggling against oppressive form of
governance and administration will, in the process, become well versed in
politics and law. same is the case with jamia . The Raid revived back a long
suppressed political consciousness of the masses of jamia and its surrounding
community . Jamia has also been involved in Workers struggle for the payment
of due wages of workers of jamia , implementation of labour laws/ minimum
wages and against the contractualisation of the workers. on 5th july 2017 , Jamia
students protested against RSS backed iftaar party on jamia campus that had
Indresh kumar as its chief guest. Indresh kumar has been accused for four bomb
blast cases namely mecca masjid bomb blast , malegaon bomblast , smjhauta
express bomb blast and ajmer bomb blast. Heavy deployment of para military
and police forces could have been seen to disperse the protesting students .
Police lathicharged on the protesting students and detained few of them. Jamia
administration has been silent in all the incidents in order to appease their
masters. Increasing political consciousness and continuous poltical movement
has been haunting the Jamia administration ..Thier Authority and unaccountable
power is now being challenged by the organised students who were powerless
earlier. Jamia admin showed its hooliganistic attitude when the Proctorial staff
along with 60 gaurds vandalised a cultural evening "Laal Tarana" on 24 aug ,
organised by students organisation DISSC. This led to huge protest on 24 and 25
aug and the students demanded the resignation of the chief proctor who order
the assault and condoned the assault and manhandling of male and female
students. The committee which was constituted has still not comeup with any
finding in this matter. Later four students belonging to the same organisation
that organised the cultural evening were show cause in order to silence the
dissenting voices on the campus. Jamia administration has been trying to gag
and curb the voices of the students and now it has also started to gag the
academician and professor of other universities by not letting them to speak in
public meeting .. This new phase turned up when jamia admin asked the
organisers(DISSC) to cancel the public meeting on "Shrinking Democratic
Spaces in the university compuses" after giving permission to invite eminent
professors from DU and JNU such as professor AK Ramakrishnan , prof. Saroj
giri and others . A new phase of negating critical approach in the name of "Rules
and regulation", "law and order" and Nationalism has started in universities.
Recently a PhD scholar of sociology department , Dhrupadi Ghosh was
deregistered without citing any reasons and by surpassing the ordinances of
jamia. The authority which always brings in rules and regulations for the
students, violated its own ordinances for cancelling the registration of a PhD
scholar after two years of her research. Dhrupadi has been politically active and
vocal about various students and workers issues and might be possible that she
became the eyesore of the administration. A massive signature campaign was
followed by a protest march to the VC office where students demanded
reinstatement of Dhrupadi Ghosh. Vice chancellor assured that he will
reconsider the cancellation and the matter is pending. on 9 oct 2017 three among
the four show caused students recieved an intimation from the proctors office
stating a Disciplinary Committee being constituted and they have to present
thier case and defend themselves. "Failing to do so will be taken as u have
nothing in your defence and action will be taken against you according to rules
and ordinances of jamia" it further mentioned. Jamia authorities has been
continuously attacking the democratic space built by the students through thier
course of struggle. They try to break , silence , create fear psychosis in order to
curb the dissent and maintain their authoritative rule and serve thier political
masters. whole country is under attack by the fascist saffron brigade
and universities , especially jamia being of minority status is not out of it .
However the movement that started to organised the powerless students and
fight for thier rights is going on . Jamia students have formed a Joint Action
Committee for the restoration of the students union that was taken away from
them 11 years ago.. Jamia students have broken the 11 years of silence and are
sharpening a movement for unionization of the entire university.
Ehtemam ul Haque

BA.LLB 2nd year