New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia Tuesday said “attempts to destabilise” the university or interfere with its academic functioning would not be tolerated, accusing “political actors” and “outsiders” of escalating the ongoing student agitation and turning an “internal matter” into a “larger political confrontation”.The concerns were raised at a meeting of deans, heads of departments, directors and senior university officials Monday to assess the campus situation, review online classes and deliberate on the protesters’ demands.Naming Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood, the university alleged Pratapgarhi entered the campus after breaking the lock of Gate No. 4A on Oct 21 while Masood scaled a boundary wall near Gafoor Nagar with a ladder on Oct 23. The university also referred to the detention of Samajwadi Party MP Mohibbullah Nadvi while he was on his way to campus and questioned the timing of a joint news conference by alumni, members of Jamia’s founding families, artists, journalists and lawyers supporting the protesters.The statement also criticised former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju for questioning the administration’s Oct 26 order accepting the demands of students on hunger strike. Katju called the provision for elections “after 15 days” of approval of the constitution of the students’ union “vague”, and demanded a fixed election date. He also termed the administration’s demand for public apology from students “humiliating and unacceptable”.Defending its approach, the university said the current administration was the first in 20 years to take concrete steps towards restoring the students’ union, which was dissolved in 2006 following violent clashes and alleged attacks on the then vice-chancellor.“A draft constitution committee was constituted on Oct 21 and needed adequate time to examine court orders, Lyngdoh Committee recommendations and university statutes,” it said.The university also alleged that outsiders had locked the political science and economics departments’ building block since Oct 24, forcing classes online until the Diwali holidays, subject to review.
