New Delhi: As the protest demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU) continued for the 17th day on Wednesday, the Congress said students have the right to form a students' union and that it stands in solidarity with their struggle.
Congress media and publicity department head Pawna Khera said Jamia students have had to protest for over two weeks in 21st-century India to demand their fundamental freedom to form an elected students' union, guaranteed under Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution, is a damning commentary on the state of democracy in our country, especially from the perspective of youth.
"The administration even attempted to discredit and defame the protests by planting the narrative of 'Islamist' sloganeering. But when students demanded that CCTV footage be handed over to police for identifying the culprits, the administration backtracked," he said on X.
The university eventually hid behind the excuse that all three cameras near the site of sloganeering were non-functional at the time, a lame excuse that, Khera said, exposes their complicity.
The Congress MP said, "The right to form a students' union is essential to the realisation of the slogan 'educate, agitate, organise' given by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The students of Jamia, like students across the country, are entitled to this right, and we stand in solidarity with their struggle."
Amid the ongoing standoff, university officials on Wednesday shared visuals of broken windows and alleged that students had forcibly entered parts of the campus, damaging surveillance cameras and other university property. The officials, however, did not clarify what action they are taking in connection with the alleged damage.
The agitation and hunger strike continued despite the university issuing an order on Monday stating that students' union elections would be held within 15 days of the approval of the union's constitution. The order also revoked suspension and show-cause notices issued to students during the protest. It also set up a committee to enquire into the conduct of security staff during the agitation.
However, the students said the decision fell short of their demands, questioning the absence of a deadline for approving the constitution. The protesting students have maintained that the administration must announce a definite date for the polls, which have not been held since 2006, and set a timeline for approving the union's constitution.
"Our first demand was that student union elections should be revived, and dates for polls be declared," Rehan Khan, one of the students on an indefinite hunger strike, said on Monday.
Four students have been on an indefinite hunger strike over the issue, the students' body said.
Amid escalating tensions at the protest site, Jamia shifted all classes to online mode on October 24, citing concerns about students' safety and security.
Following a complaint by Jamia Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi, the Delhi Police registered an FIR at Jamia Nagar police station on October 25 against Congress MPs Imran Masood and Imran Pratapgarhi for alleged unauthorised entry into the campus.
According to the complaint, Pratapgarhi allegedly entered the university campus on October 21 after breaking the lock of gate number 4A, while Masood entered on October 23 by scaling a boundary wall near Gafoor Nagar with the help of a ladder. The complaint also mentions the visit of Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, who was detained while on his way to the campus.