New Delhi: A Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) official said on Sunday that the university has lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police against Congress Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood, Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi and others, accusing them of trespassing on campus and inciting unrest during a student agitation for union elections.
In addition, the Students' Federation of India (SFI) has alleged that hundreds of police personnel detained students outside Gate 7.
There was no response from the Delhi Police to the SFI complaint or the allegations that several students were detained.
In a social media post, the SFI described the situation as a crackdown on students.
A section of students has been demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU), and four of them have been on a hunger strike for 13 days.
On Saturday, according to the university, "more than 1,500" teaching and non-teaching staff, along with Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi, marched from the Ansari Auditorium lawns to Gate 7 to persuade the protesting students to call off their agitation.
The university said the staff made repeated appeals over nearly two hours, but the protesters refused to vacate the site.
The SFI's Jamia unit alleged that the proctor and registrar, along with the security adviser, tried to remove the hunger strikers, dismantled their tents and dragged women students.
The university administration alleged that some students pushed security guards and teachers.
According to a student, a heavy deployment of police has been made outside the campus, and students are being stopped from entering and even being detained.
In its online class order, the university also directed students to avoid visiting campus, stating that its gates and libraries would remain closed until further notice.
The protest began nearly two weeks ago for the restoration of the JMISU, elections for which have not been held since 2006.
Besides the four on a hunger strike, PhD scholar Sanam has been sitting in at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawns in protest, the SFI said.
The university said a seven-member committee of professors has held four rounds of talks with the students. It said it notified a JMISU Constitution Draft Committee on October 21 and promised to review disciplinary action taken or initiated against students over the October 12 protest.
The SFI has demanded that students be included in the constitution-drafting committee, election dates be announced in the current semester, and all disciplinary action against protesters be revoked.
It has also sought the resignation of the chief proctor and security adviser over the alleged use of force against students.
On Saturday, the university shifted classes online, citing security concerns.
The ongoing unrest at JMI deepened on Sunday as protesting students openly questioned the university administration's decision to abruptly shift all classes online and shut down core facilities, calling it a deliberate tactic to clear the campus and suppress their demand for the restoration of the student union.
The university administration announced on Saturday that all courses would move to online format with immediate effect until further notice. Alongside the academic shift, central facilities including the library, canteens, and main entry gates were closed down, locking out students and leaving those on campus isolated.
Students participating in the ongoing demonstration and hunger strike, which began on October 12, accused the university authorities of creating a pretext to dismantle the protest site near the Ghalib statue lawns.
(With inputs from PTI & ANI)