On 11th March, hours after the Government of India notified the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), a protest erupted at the Jamia Millia Islamia campus in Delhi. Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) led the student protests at the campus. Notably, Jamia was at the centre of protests in 2019 when the Act was passed by the Parliament.
Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university said in a statement that no agitation would be allowed on the campus. Delhi Police deployed a large number of personnel to ensure law and order on the campus.
Following notification of Citizenship (Amendment) Act (#CAA) rules by the Centre government, protests were registerd at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia campus, which has been a focal point of opposition to the law deemed discriminatory. Deployment of Delhi Police has been made. pic.twitter.com/RaWIWUVgnU
— Pirzada Shakir (@pzshakir6) March 11, 2024
VC says Jamia won’t allow any protests on the campus
Jamia’s acting VC Eqbal Hussain said in a statement that the university administration has tightened the security arrangement at the campus. He added that the administration would not allow any protests near or on the campus. Speaking to news agency PTI, he said, “We have tightened security arrangements to avoid any kind of agitation on the campus. No protest against the CAA will be allowed by students or outsiders near the campus.”
MSF and NSUI protested against CAA Rules
Muslim Student Federation (MSF) shared videos and photographs of the protest on their social media accounts. On Instagram, the group wrote, “MSF Jamia Millia Islamia strongly condemn the fascist government’s move to implement the divisive and Islamophobic act of CAA. Along with the Fraternity movement Jamia Millia Islamia, MSF organised a protest gathering at the central canteen area.”
In a statement, NSUI said, “NSUI Jamia Millia Islamia protests against the decision of the Central government to implement the unconstitutional CAA.”
NSUI Jamia Millia Islamia protests against the decision of central government to implement the unconstitutional CAA. Students gathered for a preamble reading amidst the protest.#CAA #NSUI #IndiaRejectsCAA pic.twitter.com/Z7o5fcSraM
— NSUI Jamia Millia Islamia (@nsui_jamia) March 11, 2024
NSUI President Varun Choudhary called CAA a “farce” on X (formerly Twitter) and claimed that the rules were notified to divert the public from “real issues”. They did not clarify why are they protesting if it is a farce and why are they diverting from so-called “real issues” themselves.
CAA बस एक तमाशा है!
— Varun Choudhary (@varunchoudhary2) March 11, 2024
असल मक़सद तो REAL मुद्दों से भटकाना है!
10 सालों में युवाओं के लिए नौकरी, किसानों की आमदनी और महंगाई कम करने पर कोई नोटिफिकेशन आया क्या ?
जाति जनगणना पर कोई नोटिफिकेशन आया क्या ?
देश सब देख रहा है!!
NSUI was behind protests in December 2019
Notably, NSUI Jamia was one of the organisations that started the protests at the university campus in 2019 when the law was passed. Buses were set on fire and both public and private properties were damaged. The police had to enter the campus to find the culprits.
During that time, OpIndia’s investigation revealed that a WhatsApp group was used to mobilize protesters. The group was being operated by NSUI’s National RTI Cell Coordinator Reetam Singh and other members affiliated with Congress. When OpIndia tried to confirm the affiliation of the protest group to NSUI, Reetam Singh replied to our query and confirmed he was an NSUI functionary.
PFI’s role in Jamia’s protests
During the investigation into the violent protests at Jamia, Delhi Police revealed that the now-banned organisation Popular Front of India’s (PFI) around 150 members had entered Delhi and hid in the Jamia area for two days before the protests took place.
CAA rules notified by the Government of India
On 11th March, the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi notified the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This Act was crucial to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s agenda during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The issuance of these rules is expected to create a pathway for persecuted minorities from the 3 neighboring Muslim nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to obtain citizenship in India.
