Jamia Millia Islamia has imposed a campus ban on a PhD scholar from the Department of Hindi. Following the development, the students’ organisation AISA condemned what it called a targeted campus ban on Saurabh Tripathi.
“As the reason for this campus ban, the notice cites three incidents where Saurabh was involved in peaceful protests or agitations against the atrocities of the Jamia administration, especially in the case of the protest in September to commemorate the anniversary of the 2008 Batla House encounter. Saurabh has been falsely charged by the Jamia administration with offences such as ‘disturbing peace and tranquillity of the university campus’, whereas in reality he participated peacefully and democratically in that protest,” AISA said in a statement.
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The panel said it “took a lenient view”, considering the scholar’s stage of research and the national resources invested in his education, stating that expulsion “will ruin his career as well as render the investment and efforts made so far in vain”. The order, dated November 20, further warns the scholar that any future violation of university rules will lead to “immediate withdrawal of permission and/or cancellation of PhD admission”.
Saurabh, a member of AISA, criticised the action, calling it “undemocratic” and an attempt to “create fear among students”.
He said the “ban will severely restrict his academic access as he won’t be able to access the library, archives or meet professors freely as even his basic academic interactions now require a special permission note and can only happen at the proctor’s office.”
“Protest is a democratic right. Declaring me out of bounds for participating in a peaceful gathering is dictatorial. It sends a message that no student should raise their voice against the university administration or its policies,” he added, noting that he and other students have been demonstrating against restrictions on protests on campus.
The action against Saurabh comes two months after an incident in which at least 12 students were briefly detained by Delhi Police while trying to march from Jamia to Batla House to mark 17 years of the encounter.
The Hindi department scholar, currently in the fourth year of his PhD programme, has been asked by the Jamia administration to submit a “bond of good conduct”.
AISA said this is an attack on dissent across the student community. “This is not an isolated case; before Saurabh, many students faced campus bans and suspensions for participating in peaceful protests. AISA views the campus ban on Saurabh as a form of systematic oppression and a way of restricting students’ freedom of speech and expression on the university campus,” it said.
It has demanded the immediate and unconditional revocation of the campus ban on Comrade Saurabh and the restoration of democratic rights on campus.
Jamia is yet to issue any press statement on the development.
