Jamia Millia Islamia campus tension rises amid student hunger strike

Tensions have escalated at Jamia Millia Islamia as students enter their second week of a hunger strike demanding the restoration of the student union, which has not held elections since 2006. The protest has been marked by allegations of administrative harassment, including claims of physical force used against students and the removal of protest tents.

Adding to the unrest, controversial slogans such as ‘Free Kashmir’, ‘Free Sharjeel Imam’, and ‘RSS Go Back’ were discovered written on campus walls. While some student representatives claim these slogans were planted by outsiders to discredit the movement, organizations like the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) have called for strict action against those responsible for the alleged anti-national writing.

In response to the ongoing dispute, the university administration has formed a seven-member high-level committee to examine student demands and draft a new constitution for the students' union. Meanwhile, security has been tightened on campus, and political figures, including Congress MP Imran Masood, were briefly detained by police while visiting the site to support the protesters.