Delhi Police have registered a case over alleged unauthorised entry and defacement at Jamia Millia Islamia as a student agitation demanding the restoration of students’ union elections entered its 14th day on Sunday, with the university campus closed to regular activity and security tightened around its gates.
Hundreds of students and alumni gathered near Gate No. 7 despite the university’s decision on Saturday to shift classes online and close campus gates and libraries until further notice. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers and barricades were placed outside the university as protesters arrived through different entrances.
The demonstrators raised slogans, displayed placards and demanded that the gates be reopened so more people could join the protest. According to some students, Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar and other university members visited the protest site around noon but left without engaging with the protesters. The university has not issued a response to that account in the material available.
The police case was registered on a complaint from the university administration after several people allegedly entered the campus without authorisation on Friday. The incident involved two MPs and other individuals who were not associated with Jamia, according to the report. Their entry allegedly triggered tension and disorder on the university premises, after which police intervened and detained some people.
No individual was named as a suspect in the first information report. Police detained one person on Sunday in connection with the alleged trespassing. Investigators have also added a section relating to defacement after slogans and graffiti described as objectionable appeared on university walls.
The reported graffiti included messages such as “Free Kashmir” and “Free Sharjeel Imam”, along with slogans targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Protesters have denied responsibility for the writing. Police are examining CCTV footage from the campus and surrounding areas, along with other evidence, to identify those allegedly involved and establish the sequence of events.
The police investigation remains under way. Security continued to be heightened outside the university as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incident and maintain law and order amid the continuing protest. The agitation began on October 12, with students sitting on protest and hunger strike to demand the restoration of Jamia’s students’ union and the holding of elections.
