Jamia cancels exams, FIR against cops ‘soon’

Following demands put forward by protesting students' groups, Jamia Millia Islamia on Monday cancelled the ongoing semester examinations until further notice. The new dates will be announced after a discussion, said the university.

The announcement came after hundreds of students gathered outside the vice-chancellor's office on Monday mainly demanding registration of First Information Report (FIR) after police attacked students inside the campus on December 15. They also demanded that the examination be rescheduled.

On Monday, V-C Najma Akhtar assured students that the process of registering the FIR would start soon, but did not commit to a deadline.

The call for protest was given by the Jamia Coordination Committee, which has representatives of various students' outfits and has been managing the protests outside the campus against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Explaining the reason behind their demands, JCC member and undergraduate student Al-Amin Kabir said, "The examination schedule was scattered. In order to ensure normal functioning of the campus, we wanted the exams conducted on time. However, by creating a schedule where one department would have their exam on a certain day, and other departments on some other day, the administration was trying to ensure that students weren't united in their protests against the CAA."

Students have also demanded a written assurance from vice-chancellor (VC) Najma Akhtar that the university administration must register FIR against Delhi Police through the magistrate before January 16.

The university later said it would "explore the possibility of moving court for the registration of FIR in the 15th December 2019 police brutality in university library case at the earliest." Jamia will also have its Executive Council meeting on Tuesday to discuss various issues including the re-scheduling of exams and the legal options before it to register the FIR.

The university said they had made efforts to register an FIR against "unidentified police personnel" in this regard.

"The university has already followed all possible steps for the registration of FIR. It has given its complaint to SHO Jamia Nagar and its copy to CP Delhi and DCP South East. The university has also written to Joint CP Southern Range and DCP Crime for the registration of FIR earlier," Ahmad Azeen, the university's media coordinator, said.

While students support the ongoing protests outside the university, many have also raised concerns over the delay in examinations.

Sadaf Jamil, a postgraduate student, said, "All of us support the protests and many want to give their examinations as well as join protests. The delay in examination has been a cause of worry. The new semester will start late due to the delay and hence we will have less time to complete our syllabus and academic work."

On December 15, the protests against Citizenship Law Amendment (CAA) took a violent turn after protesters clashed with Delhi Police in New Friends Colony area. In the chaos that ensued, the university said around 200 students were injured as cops entered the Jamia libraries, damaged university property, and beat students and guards. While Delhi Police said their personnel had entered campus "while chasing violent protesters", they denied allegations of entering the library or vandalisation.

Students have also called for a SIT inquiry into the alleged police excesses on campus and a written assurance that petition will be filed for the three students who were "framed" by the Delhi Police in the case. Akhtar also said that safety measures on campus were increased following the violence and efforts are being made to ensure students feel safe on campus.

Meanwhile, the university said that a second team from National Human Rights Commission is scheduled to visit campus on Tuesday as a part of its inquiry into police action against students. The team is likely to record the statement of "the victim students."