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 classes shifted online and security tightened around the Delhi campus.
Hundreds of students and alumni gathered near Gate No. 7 despite the university’s decision on Saturday to close campus gates and libraries until further notice. Barricades were placed outside the university and police personnel were deployed in large numbers as demonstrators raised slogans, displayed placards and demanded that the gates be reopened so more people could join the protest.
The FIR was registered on a complaint from the university administration after several individuals allegedly entered the campus without authorisation on Friday. According to the report, two MPs and other people not associated with Jamia allegedly entered the premises, leading to chaos and tension. Police intervened and some people were detained. No individual has been named as a suspect in the FIR, while one person was detained on Sunday in connection with the alleged trespassing.
Police 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”, as well as slogans targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Protesters have denied responsibility for the writing.
Investigators are scanning CCTV footage from the campus and surrounding areas to identify those allegedly involved. Police said the footage and other evidence would be examined to establish the sequence of events and determine responsibility for the alleged defacement. The investigation into both the trespassing and defacement allegations remains ongoing.
The dispute has unfolded alongside a prolonged student campaign over the university’s students’ union. The agitation began on October 12, with students sitting on protest and hunger strike while demanding the restoration of the union and the holding of elections. The continuation of the protest has placed pressure on the university’s normal operations, including in-person classes, access to libraries and movement through campus gates.
Some students said the university vice-chancellor and other university members visited the protest site around noon but left without engaging with the demonstrators. The report did not indicate that the university had announced a change to its decision to shift classes online or to keep the gates and libraries closed.
Security remained heightened outside the campus as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incident and maintain law and order amid the continuing tension. The immediate next steps are the review of CCTV footage and other evidence by investigators, while the student protest and the university’s operational restrictions continue.
