Jamia Students Demand Reinstatement of Union Elections

New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) A section of students of Jamia Millia Islamia University has submitted a memorandum to the varsity's vice-chancellor demanding reinstatement of students' union and declaration of the date of elections.

The union elections were banned in the varsity in 2006 after its administration alleged that the union had started meddling in issues related to administrative work.

"We the students of JMI have suffered immensely in the past 13 years after scrapping of students' union in 2006. We have no representation in the decision making bodies in the university and no mechanism to ensure the accountability of the decision making bodies of the university towards the students," the students said in a letter.

The students feel powerless in the face of such administrative decisions as scrapping of papers, marksheets, fee hike or administrative inefficiencies such as delay and errors in examination results in absence of any mechanisms to make the students voice matter, the letter said.

They said since JMI is a minority institution where students come from the remotest corners of the country and most vulnerable backgrounds, the students need to have a collective voice even more.

The students said that "if the date of students' union elections is not announced right till end of November, we will be compelled to resort to all democratic non-violent means to seek our rights".

According to an official from the varsity, since the matter is sub-judice, the varsity cannot comment on it.

Jamia had in 2012 assured the Delhi High Court that there is no discomfort and objection to elections as well as an elected student body. PTI SLB

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