Students of Jamia Millia Islamia held a protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, opposing the suspension of 17 students for their involvement in campus demonstrations.

The left-leaning groups, All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), and All India Democratic Students Organization (AIDSO), participated to show their solidarity with the students, who were unjustly suspended by the Varsity Administration.

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While addressing the protest gathering at Jantar Mantar, Sonakshi, one of the 17 suspended students said, “The gathering of students in such large numbers is a clear proof that the attempt to break the unity of Jamia through such repressive action has failed miserably”.

Meanwhile another student Mishkaat stated, “As soon as the police entered the campus, it did not remain an internal matter, as Jamia admin keeps saying. And the DCP and Proctor not meeting the students clearly shows the links of administration and Police against students”.

Furthermore, she alleges that, the JMI admin provided complete authority to Police to enter the campus and beat, abduct students, spreading an atmosphere of terror and whatnot.

Additionally, AISA demands that all the suspensions, notices and FIRs to be taken back and attack on the students must stop.

The protest began on February 10, with students condemning what they termed as the administration’s “crackdown on student activism”. The university claimed the protesting students vandalized university property, including the central canteen, and broke the gate of the security advisor’s office, forcing the administration to take action.

Some of the students allegedly involved in the protest claimed they also got suspension letters from the Jamia administration.