It was 2006 last time when Jamia Millia Islamia had students union. For more than a decade, students have been demanding the union but it fell on the deaf ear of the Jamia administration. Recently, the demand for the union came to light when a group of students went on indefinite hunger strike on 25 October. However, they ended the strike on 2 October but vowed to continue their struggle for the union.
“We are demanding the restoration of students union. It is a genuine and simple demand. It is our constitutional right. Students have been facing a lot of problems; they are not provided hostel facility in the university. If there is a poor and needy student, he does not get scholarship. Examinations as well as their result announcements are delayed. There is union for teachers, clerks and labours but there is no union for 17,000 students,” said Meeran Haider, an M.Phil student of the Jamia who was on hunger strike for more than a week. He further cited the Lyngdoh Committee which recommended that central universities should conduct election for the student union. The recommendations of the committee have been endorsed by the Supreme Court.
The Jamia administration has been rejecting the demand, saying that this matter is sub-judice, but Haider said, “This is a blatant lie. In 2012, a student Hamid-u-Rahman moved the court for the restoration of students union in the university. At that time, Najib Jung was the Vice-Chancellor who behaved almost like autocrat. He used to expel anyone who raised voice for the union. Hamid-u-Rahman dared to do so and faced the same consequences. He was a gold medallist and national debater, applied for post-graduation in seven departments but Jung revoked his application for admission in all the seven departments with his special power. The court directed the Jamia administration to restore the student union but the Jamia replied that it cannot restore the union since the atmosphere is not conducive. After that, the hearing was on. There is no court order hitherto that debarred the university to restore the student union. If the court bars from restoration of the union then only it becomes the contempt of the court. Jamia is a central and autonomous institution that can use its special power. Vice-Chancellor uses the special powers for the self-gain but when there is an issue of student’s interest, they say the matter is sub-judice.”
Haider, who is convener of Jamia Students Forum, accused the Jamia administration that “they are pushing the university towards privatisation and they are using the university for self-gain. They invite anyone whom they want in the university. They hold any programme they want. But if a student wants to invite anyone or hold a programme, he is not granted permission. Every year hostel and college fee is hiked.”
Afzal Khan, who is a student at the Centre for West Asian Studies in the Jamia, says that there are two opinions among the students regarding the union. Some of them want the union and some of them don’t. But the majority support the demand for students union. He further said the Jamia has been founded to provide leaders for Muslims and the country; in the absence of the union, this is not happening. Jamia failed to provide leaders.