Jamia Millia Islamia demand student Union Elections, VC says not against elections

The students of reputed University Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) continue with their hunger strike on the 8th day as they demand University Elections to be held in the University. The University officials said that the matter of conducting Student Elections is sub judice in the Delhi High Court, however students said that no paper regarding the court's stay on Student Elections have been produced so far.

The Vice Chancellor on October 31 met the students late at night and said,"I have never said that I am against student elections, but it is impossible to announce something overnight and hence I would request you not to continue with this strike and spoil your health. We need to take a well-through decision, which will take sometime."

The protesters claimed that the University is trying too find an escape route to avoid student elections to suppress and divert the issues raised by the students.

On October 30th, the VC Talat Ahmed had asked students to talk to him on the issue, however students rejected, and one of the protesters said, "We know what happens in close-room meetings, hence we did not speak to him on the issue in his cabin. If he was concerned about students sitting on hunger strikes, he should have come at the spot and spoken to us, and not called us to his cabin to 'negotiate',"

JMI stdents said that such movements for democracy and rights make them feel 'what it means to be empowered', 'What it means to reclaim their own University space, and 'What it means to be coordinated, politically expanded and educated,"

Law Student, Ambar questioned, "All prominent Universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University have student elections, then why must we not have it in Jamia? What are the authorities trying to depoliticise the campus? Why are they holding back students to exercise their freedom?"

Students leader Khushbu Khan said that a students union would help to raise issues and problems of women. If we get a union, we would be able to raise the voice of women which would help us to achieve a gender-equal atmosphere in the university and finish the sense of patriarchy still prevalent in the campus.

The Vice Chancellor on October 31 met the students late at night and said,"I have never said that I am against student elections, but it is impossible to announce something overnight and hence I would request you not to continue with this strike and spoil your health. We need to take a well-through decision, which will take sometime."

The Jamia Millia Islamia held their last student union elections in 2006, post which college authorities barred student union elections.

OneIndia News