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Peace march taken out at Jamia

Photo: S. Subramanium

IN SOLIDARITY: Mushirul Hasan (centre), Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, takes part in a peace march with students and faculty members in New Delhi on Thursday. —

NEW DELHI: Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Mushirul Hasan led a peace march on the university campus here on Thursday in the wake of the recent violent incident in its neighbourhood and arrest of two of its students.

A large number of students, along with faculty members, followed Professor Hasan in a peaceful procession.

“The peace march was silent and no speeches were made. No slogans were raised. The march was meant to instil confidence and solidarity among the Jamia fraternity and to reiterate the university’s insistence on maintaining calm and order,” said media coordinator Rakhshanda Jalil.

A few students carried hand-made posters making a call for peace.

Soon after the peace march, some activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad entered the Jamia campus. They shouted slogans against Professor Hasan and demanded his resignation.

They carried an effigy of the Vice-Chancellor which they wanted to burn on the campus. University Proctor Masood Alam informed the local police who arrived at the spot and prevented the burning of the effigy.

The activists were detained by the police and later let off.

“Professor Hasan holds a very responsible position. It is not correct for him to talk about giving legal aid to those who have been suspected of terror activities,” said Vikas Dahiya, an ABVP activist.

Meanwhile, the executive council and the academic council of Jamia Millia has expressed their support to Professor Hasan in his handling of the recent crisis owing to the arrest of two its students for alleged involvement in terror acts.

At a meeting, the council also decided to form its own committee to raise funds for the arrested students and provide relief to them in accordance with the laws of the land.

The council unanimously agreed that the incidents of alleged terrorism were in no way connected to the university and that it was outrageous to “castigate an 80-year-old university on the basis of unproved charges against a couple of students”.

“The House felt that the University must liaise with police and students in order to restore confidence and request the Government to set up a judicial inquiry into the incidents in the neighbourhood,” said Jalil.

The council also resolved to form a “Legal Aid Committee” to function independently of the university administration. It has decided to form a “Students’ Relief Committee” to raise funds from staff and students for providing legal aid, as and when necessary, to Jamia students.

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