After over 12 hours in custody, students from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) were released by Delhi Police following mounting public pressure. The detentions, which took place early Thursday morning, on February 13, saw students being rounded up from the campus and taken to undisclosed locations.
According to student groups, the crackdown was allegedly orchestrated by Chief Proctor Naved Jamal and backed by Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif, both accused of systematically attempting to crush student activism on campus.
"It is evident that the way this government, police, and administration handle democracy in a minority institution is by absolutely trying to crush it with overwhelming mental and physical violence and underhanded tactics," said the All India Students’ Union (AISA) in a statement released today, February 13.
Throughout the day, family members and fellow students attempted to track down those detained but were met with evasive responses from the police, claimed students.
The detentions were linked to an ongoing student protest against disciplinary actions taken by the administration. Two PhD scholars had recently been issued show-cause notices for allegedly organising a demonstration last year, prompting an indefinite sit-in that had entered its third day.
AISA also condemned the JMI administration for allegedly denying protesters access to food, drinking water, electricity, and restrooms.
"These protests were particularly marked with the Jamia administration's denial of basic human rights," the statement added.
"For more than 12 hours, students were literally disappeared from the face of the National Capital of India," it added.
The incident has reignited concerns about the suppression of dissent within academic institutions. Activists are demanding accountability for the actions of both the police and university officials and calling for an end to what they describe as the criminalisation of student activism.
