NEW DELHI: An agreement signed in the early hours of Monday failed to break the deadlock at Jamia Millia Islamia, instead setting the stage for another day of confrontation as students rejected the administration’s terms, alleging they had been pressured into signing the document at around 4 am.
By morning, celebrations over the assurance that the students’ union constitution would be formed after 15 days had given way to anger and uncertainty.
The hunger-striking students rejected all three points outlined in the administration’s October 26 order, arguing that it offered no firm assurance on their key demands. They maintained that the agitation would continue until these were addressed.
As the day progressed, tensions escalated on the university campus, with a large number of students mobilising despite heavy police deployment and restrictions. Protesters were seen moving between different gates, attempting to force them open amid loud sloganeering.
The Ibn-e-Sina gaye was broken by the protestors while one of the grills of the gate number 7 was pulled out and the police has to guard it till it was fixed late evening.
Meanwhile security personnel recorded videos of the demonstrators, while drones hovered outside the campus gates.
The administration’s decision to weld one of the gates, following reports of students entering the campus through different gates over the weekend, added to the tense atmosphere.
Four students were detained during the day, even as the security adviser remained on the ground. There was, however, no public response from the university administration to the students’ renewed rejection of its order.
At the centre of the standoff is the demand for the restoration of students’ union elections, which have remained a longstanding concern among students.
In a letter to Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif, the protesting students on Monday laid down a fresh timeline, demanding that the university approve the students’ union constitution by December 20 and announce the election schedule within 15 days of its approval.
They also demanded the revocation of all disciplinary action against students, the resignation of the Chief Security Advisor and an end to the demand for a public apology for the protest.
"We protested peacefully, in a Gandhian way. Why should we apologise?" asked Ebin Basil- one of the two students on hunger strike, rejecting the administration’s insistence on an apology as part of the proposed resolution.
Meanwhile, the hunger strike entered its 15th day with two students, Rehan Khan and Ebin Basil, deciding to continue their fast despite the prolonged impasse. Two other protesters, Jasim and Faizan had to discontinue their hunger strike due to their medical conditions. Jasim was hospitalised on Sunday night.
The decision to continue the fast came amid growing uncertainty over the outcome of the negotiations and the students’ insistence that the administration had not made binding commitments on their demands.