NEW DELHI: Days after a large crowd of protesters broke open the Ibn Sina gate at Jamia Millia Islamia during a demonstration; the university administration was seen blocking another gate near the Old Library Reading Hall in the Ibn-e-Sina Block with bricks on Friday, further restricting movement across the campus.
The gate, opposite the Ibn-e-Sina Block, had traditionally served as an emergency passage and was used during periods of severe waterlogging inside the university campus following heavy rainfall. Its closure raised concerns over access to the area, particularly during the monsoon, when water accumulation often disrupts movement within the campus.
The move came amid heightened tensions on the university campus following student protests for the past 12 days. The administration has increasingly resorted to locking and barricading entry points, with the latest instance involving the use of bricks to seal the gate.
“The closure of a passage that has historically served an emergency purpose also raises questions about the arrangements in place to facilitate movement during waterlogging and other emergencies,” an alumnus posted this on social media.
It invited a lot of criticism from the students on social media who stated, “This is how you show that University is under tremendous fear.”
With gates being locked, barricaded and reinforced, the university campus is witnessing a visible change in its accessibility. What was once an open academic space is increasingly taking on the appearance of a fortified zone, with movement restricted at multiple points.
The development comes at a time when student protests have brought questions of campus access, administrative restrictions and the right to assemble into focus.
Meanwhile on the 12th day of hunger strike, the Rampur MP Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi who visited the university to extend his solidarity to Jamia students was detained by the police on Friday. Maulana Nadvi is also a prominent member of Samajwadi Party.
In the past five days, several MPs have written to the Vice Chancellor Mazhar Asif demanding restoration of the students’ union and withdrawal of all actions against the students on hunger strike. The situation of the protests within the campus continued on Friday and huge number of students gathered at Gulistan-e-Ghalib to offer Juma prayers.
