MANUU Students Hit Streets in Solidarity with Jamia Millia Protests
Students at Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad protest to support Jamia Millia Islamia students amid campus tensions and union demands.
Students at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad have launched a solidarity protest to support their peers at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in New Delhi. The demonstrators gathered with placards, voicing their support for the ongoing agitation at Jamia and raising concerns over the alleged targeting of Muslim identity within the university system.
Demands for Accountability and Representation
During the protest in Telangana, student leaders from MANUU highlighted a systemic lack of administrative accountability and the urgent need for student representation to resolve institutional grievances.
A student leader participating in the protest drew a parallel between the struggles at both institutions, noting that while MANUU students have faced issues for the last two years, the struggle at Jamia has persisted for two decades. The leader pointed out that the lack of a functioning union often leaves students without legal remedies or a platform to address extra-judicial realities on campus.
"We are demanding legal remedies from the administration, but no one from the administration has come out to address the issues. We need student representation to address our issues," the student stated, adding that they perceive a targeting of Muslim identity at Jamia.
Tensions Escalate at Jamia Millia Islamia
The protest at MANUU comes amid a deepening crisis at Jamia Millia Islamia. The JMI administration recently issued a "final" warning to students occupying the Gulistan-e-Ghalib Building and Ghalib Lawn in the North Campus.
In a notice shared by the students, the university administration labeled their presence as "unlawful," claiming it disrupted the functioning of the Departments of Political Science and Economics. The administration ordered the students and their companions to vacate the premises immediately, warning that failure to comply would result in disciplinary and legal action.
The Battle for the Student Union
At the heart of the JMI unrest is the demand for the restoration of the students' union, which was dissolved by the university administration in 2006. Following days of intense protests, the university administration announced that elections would be held 15 days after the approval of the Students' Union constitution.
Despite this announcement, the protesting students have rejected the administration's notice and the current terms. They have asserted that their 14-day-long agitation will continue until all demands are met, including a definitive timeline for elections.
Hunger Strike and Conflicting Narratives
The students also clarified that those observing a hunger strike would continue their fast, dismissing reports that the protest had been called off. They countered media accounts suggesting they had accepted the administration's assurances, stating that such reports were based solely on the administration's version of events and did not reflect the actual position of the student body.