VOICING THEIR DISSENT: Students of Jamia Millia Islamia University on a hunger strike outside the Vice-Chancellor's office in New Delhi on Thursday. - PHOTO: S. SUBRAMANIUM

NEW DELHI: Six students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University here began a relay hunger strike outside the Vice-Chancellor's office on Thursday. They are demanding his resignation and the arrest of the Proctor for getting the outgoing students' union president and four others "beaten up by their men" on Tuesday. The students refused to comply with a 48-hour ultimatum to vacate the hostel.

Violence broke out on the campus on Tuesday after the university denied admission to 45 students as their past records were not "clean''.

According to the administration, the outgoing union president Shams Parvez and four others came to meet Vice-Chancellor Mushirul Hasan, who asked them to wait outside. Later a scuffle broke out between two groups resulting in violence. The university was closed indefinitely.

While Prof. Hasan nominated retired Delhi High Court judge S.K. Aggarwal on Wednesday to enquire into the incident, the students demanded an independent investigation.

On Thursday afternoon, they shouted slogans against the administration, burnt an effigy of the Vice-Chancellor and took out a march against Proctor Rocket Ibrahim on the campus. "Prof. Hasan, the Proctor and his son Ejaz were responsible for the attack on Shams Parvez and four others. Mr. Shams and the other students had gone there to find out why certain people, who were eligible, were refused admission," said Danish, one of the agitating students.

The students presented a list of 58 candidates who, they claimed, were eligible for enrolment but were denied admission.

National Students' Union of India president Nadeem Javed visited the university to express his support to the agitators. "I have requested Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh to hear out the students. Attempts are being made to curb student activism by using muscle power," said Mr. Javed, who was accompanied by Delhi University Students' Union president Ragini Nayak.

The students plan to submit a memorandum to Mr. Arjun Singh on Friday.

In a statement, university media coordinator Rakhshanda Jalil said efforts were being made to restore normality on the campus.

University concern

Reiterating that the university was closed indefinitely apprehending escalation of violence, Ms. Jalil said the administration was concerned over an increasing number of people trying to gain entry into the institution posing as students.

"At its meeting of July 15, the Academic Council unanimously decided to refuse admission to all those whose records in the past were suggestive of indiscipline and misconduct. A list of 45 names has been prepared." It was the administration, and not the student body, which decided the vital issues of safety, security, admissions and threat to life and property, she said.

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