Protesters assembled in Batla House, New Delhi for a candlelight march to mark the anniversary of the police brutality inside Jamia Millia Islamia during the anti-CAA protests in 2020. Photo Credit: Nehal Ahmed.
On December 14th in New Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) announced a complete closure of its campus on the anniversary of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests. The university administration also issued strict guidelines prohibiting any protests or demonstrations on campus without prior approval, citing security and administrative concerns.
The decision to close the campus on December 15th was communicated through an official notification, stating that all academic and administrative activities would remain suspended for the day. Students and faculty members have expressed mixed reactions to the announcement, with some highlighting concerns over the stifling of democratic expression. A student stated, “Delhi Police and Jamia administration’s nexus has today, refused to allow us to even remember that day of horror.”
The anti-CAA protests that began in 2019 had seen JMI emerge as a prominent hub of resistance, with students and activists rallying against the contentious legislation that sought to restrict who could become a citizen of India on the basis of religion. On 15 December 2019, the Delhi Police had stormed the university, where students were peacefully protesting, launching a brutal attack using teargas shells inside the campus, breaking into the library and indiscriminately assaulting students with lathis (sticks). Reports documented that several students suffered injuries on their heads, deep gashes and bone fractures from police beatings. One student lost vision in his left eye, while another was reported to need rod transplants in his legs. At a press conference to mark two years since the incident, students gave testimonies of the violence, adding that the police used religious slurs towards Muslim and Kashmiri students. Until now no police officer has been found guilty for the violence.
In addition to the campus closure, JMI reinforced its policy against protests and demonstrations without prior permission. An office memorandum on November 29, referring to a previous advisory from 2022, stated “It is once again reiterated for the information of all students of the University that no protests, sit-ins, raising slogans against any constitutional dignitaries shall be allowed in any part of the University Campus, otherwise disciplinary action against such erring students shall be initiated as per provisions of the University rules.” While the university remained closed on the 15th, police personnels were deployed in large numbers outside the campus.
Student groups and civil rights activists have criticized the measures, accusing the administration of suppressing dissent. The All India Student Association stated, “The ruling regime, incapable of tolerating criticism, has weaponized university authorities to shield itself from accountability.”
The move has reignited debates over the shrinking space for dissent in educational institutions. The Free to Think 2024 report, published in October 2024 by Scholars at Risk, found that India’s ranking on the Academic Freedom Index has plummeted to its lowest point since the mid-1940s. The report noted that the most pressing threats to academic freedom in India were the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) efforts to exert political control on academic institutions and university policies limiting student protests.
Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) is deeply concerned about the ongoing restrictions on academic freedom in India, which reflect a broader decline in the country’s freedom of the press, speech, and expression. We call upon the Indian government to immediately cease efforts to restrict the academic freedom of all university members, including students and faculty, and to create an environment that allows for the free pursuit of academic activities. Additionally, we urge the international community dedicated to protecting human rights to join us in calling on the Indian government to uphold the human rights guaranteed under international law within its territories.
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