Jamia Millia Islamia Bans Protest Against Constitutional Dignitaries Without Prior Approval (image-twitter/ashrafkondotty)

New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has issued a notice prohibiting all protests including slogan-raising activities on campus without prior approval from the university authorities.

The ban was issued after a group of students this week raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The official notice released on Friday stated as follows, “No protests, dharnas, raising slogans against any constitutional dignitaries shall be allowed in any part of the university campus. Disciplinary action shall be initiated against any erring students as per provisions of the university rules”.

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The announcement has led to large criticism from the All India Students’ Association and calls for students to unite against the order. The student body had claimed the Jamia Millia administration had become a “mouthpiece for the BJP-RSS agenda”.

AISA had accused the university administration of succumbing to political pressure from the ruling regime. The student body claimed that the Jamia Millia administration had become a “mouthpiece for the BJP-RSS agenda”.

“This is part of the Sangh’s larger agenda to strip universities of their autonomy and transform them into factories of conformity. We will not let this legacy be hijacked by the Sangh’s foot soldiers in the administration,” AISA added.

In the memo, JMI highlighted the importance of maintaining a conducive academic environment and asserted that activities like protests and slogans are incompatible with this atmosphere.

“Its once again reiterated for the information of all students of the University that no protests, dharnas, 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 provision of the University rules,” the notice said.

As per the report by ANI, the faculty members and department heads have been giving instructions to ensure that students under their purview are made aware of these guidelines.

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AISA has called on the students to stand against what they view as an infringement on the university’s autonomy and its long-standing tradition of resistance.

In the notice, the authorities had made a reference to a similar offense order which was issued in August 2022, which had set out comparable restrictions on student protests, further reinforcing the university’s position on the matter.