Fear, Family Pressure: Jamia Students Leave Campus After Violence

The university is closed till 5 January and exams have been postponed.

Students leave from Jamia Millia Islamia. The university is closed till 5 Jan following the protests against Citizenship Amendment Act.

(Photo: PTI)

The morning after the police forcibly entered the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia and unleashed violence which left more than 100 people injured, students were seen filtering out of the campus with their bags packed.

“The atmosphere here is very disturbed, the library has been destroyed and a curfew was imposed in the campus last night, even some rooms were set on fire. The police has entered our mosque... so we have to leave,” said a departing student.

“Our families are pressuring us and for our own safety, we have to leave,” he added.

Another student told The Quint that they were trying to leave as early as possible - from 5:30 to 6 am, when the gates opened. He added that studies weren’t a problem since the exams were postponed; the main concern was that everyone was safe.

Students at the gates of Jamia Millia Islamia.

Students leaving Jamia Millia Islamia.

Students leaving Jamia Millia Islamia.

Students leaving Jamia Millia Islamia.

Students leaving Jamia Millia Islamia.

“Until our administration takes strict action and our VC Najma Akhtar takes a big step, nothing will return to normal,” a student said.

“Yesterday, everyone had switched the lights off because there was an atmosphere of fear. The students are very scared, because we don’t know what’s happening. We haven’t eaten anything. We had packed yesterday and as soon as there was some light people started leaving,”

Unidentified student at Jamia Milia Islamia

“Folks at home are calling every half an hour, they wanted to come pick us up but we refused since they might get wrapped up in this mess,” said another student.

The varsity advanced its winter vacation by nearly 10 days and postponed exams as protests erupted. “Winter vacation declared from 16 December to 5 January. University to open on 6 January 2020,” a university official notified.

More than 100 people, including students, policemen and firefighters were injured on Sunday, 15 December, after cops threw teargas shells inside the college campus, forced their way in, and reportedly dragged students out of the library and the mosque, and assaulted them.

The chaos has sent ripples throughout the country, with students protesting against the incident and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Aligarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Kerala.

(With inputs from PTI)