Backlash against Centre over Delhi Police crackdown at Jamia Millia Islamia

The early morning detention of protesting students at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has triggered sharp reactions from civil society and opposition leaders, who accused the Modi government of using the Delhi Police as a tool to suppress student dissent.

On Thursday morning, 13 February, at least 10 students were picked up from inside the campus between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. and taken to undisclosed locations.

The Delhi Police denied that they entered the campus at the time — but have not clarified the students' whereabouts.

The university administration, meanwhile, has accused the detained students of vandalising property — a charge the protesters strongly deny.

Political leaders and civil activists alike have slammed the arrests (if such they were at all), calling them an attack on democracy and student rights.

RJD MP Manoj Jha directly questioned the police action, demanding an immediate explanation:

“What is the reason that at 4 a.m. your people entered Jamia Millia Islamia? Peacefully protesting students were unethically arrested. It is not even known where they have been kept. Apologise for this undemocratic action and release them immediately.”

Earlier, reports cited the university authorities calling on the police to remove the ‘offending’ students.

Senior advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan linked the crackdown to a broader pattern of shrinking space for dissent. "This crackdown at Jamia raises larger questions about the shrinking space for student dissent, the absence of democratic representation and the administration’s tightening control over campus expression," he said, echoing similar sentiments in his X post today (below).

Student leader Sharjeel Usmani also pointed to a disturbing pattern of repression, questioning the university’s growing proximity to law enforcement:

'At least 20 students of Jamia Millia Islamia... were detained by Delhi Police between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.,' he posted on X. ‘Their whereabouts are still unknown. This comes just a month after the Jamia administration appointed a retired DCP of Delhi Police as its ‘security advisor’.'

What were the students protesting against?

Congress leader Dr Maksoor Usmani posted 'in solidarity with Jamia' and called the administration’s actions 'authoritarian'.

He also demanded the immediate release of the detained students, saying, “For three days, students have been protesting against the administration’s draconian actions. Instead of addressing their demands, the administration resorted to arbitrary arrests at 5 a.m. This is unacceptable. We strongly condemn this and demand that Delhi Police release the students immediately.”

The detentions are linked to a broader pattern of targeting student activists at Jamia — and have implications well beyond the campus.

This round of protests was centred on the show-cause notices issued in 2024 to two PhD scholars 'accused' of organising a CAA-NRC 'observance day'.

Student groups allege that the administration is systematically cracking down on dissent, using disciplinary measures as a tool for political suppression.

There is also a related matter in the mix. In December 2023, the university had formed a disciplinary committee to investigate students accused of raising objectionable slogans. The final hearing for that investigation is scheduled for 25 February 2025.

Meanwhile, a 2022 office memorandum continues to restrict student gatherings in Jamia, effectively banning protests, discussions and cultural events on campus.

Growing surveillance at Jamia?

Civil society groups have long raised concerns over increasing police involvement in campus affairs.

Critics point to the appointment of a retired Delhi Police officer as the university’s ‘security advisor’, calling it part of a larger strategy to suppress the dissenting voices on campus.

Also, the crackdown on Jamia adds to a growing list of assaults on student activism under the BJP regime, where campuses have become battlegrounds of ideologies and for state-sponsored repression.

With the whereabouts of the detained students still unknown, pressure is mounting on the Delhi Police and university administration to come clean.

For now, the police cordon wreathing campus is hardly reassuring — and hardly suggests that the intent of these ‘keepers of law and order’ is not student intimidation and harassment.