Jamia Journal Independent Student-run News Website of Jamia Millia Islamia (a Central University)
According to a hostel resident in Jamia, who wishes to remain unnamed for fear of reprisal, the Jamia administration on Tuesday, November 20, has fined and suspended a few students for taking part in a protest against mess fee hike, that took place on-campus, on September 27.
According to a student who took part in the protest, about 250 students, mostly hostel residents, had gathered in front of the Provost office near the Ansari Auditorium on-campus demanding the mess fee hike to be reduced back to Rs. 1800 from Rs. 2000; and in protest they went on a hunger strike all night that night.
The decision to fine and suspend a few students comes after almost two months of the protest, following which, on Oct. 3, many of them were served a show-cause notice.
“Some twelve students have been fined a sum of 3000 rupees and five out of them face a suspension of two weeks as well,” said the student.
Another student who also did not wish to be named said, “I think the most important question to be answered here is: are we going to see all of this happening as a student community?” Expressing his concern over the state of student democracy in Jamia, and the need for steadfastness, he further added, “As for me, if they try to bend me, I’ll make sure that I be able to crawl.”
The decision aroused a debate on the social networking site Facebook too, with a Jamia alumnus terming it as “absolutely preposterous,” while some others pressed upon the need for a strong students’ union, on the same lines as that in Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi. “It calls for the student community to come together and question this,” voiced a student who faces a suspension of two weeks for his involvement in the protest.
[Editor’s Note: Jamia Journal would like our readers to bear in mind, that allegations made by the students in this report cannot be corroborated with the Jamia administration for the simple reason that we cannot have an expectation for a reply if we were to; our efforts in the past have always been unsuccessful.]
