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Amid continuous protests by students demanding restoration of the students' union, the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on Saturday announced that it will conduct classes of all courses through "online mode with immediate effect until further notice".
The university, in a notice, said that the decision to shift classes online has been taken as a "precautionary measure" to ensure the safety and well-being of students. "All Deans/Heads/Directors and faculty members as well as all bonafide students are hereby directed to adhere to the online class schedule and ensure regular participation in academic activities. All faculty members are requested to make the necessary arrangements for conducting classes through online platforms and to provide students with the required academic support and learning materials," the notice read. As this happened, the All India Students' Association (AISA) alleged that the Jamia administration began "assaulting students" in the midst of negotiations. "The hunger strikers and the protest site are being attacked. This reveals the most brutal face of the Jamia administration," AISA said in a press release. This comes as the hunger strike of five Jamia students continued for the 13th day on Saturday. The students have been demanding restoration of their students union (JMISU) while calling for the removal of the universitys Chief Proctor for cracking down on protesters. Jasim Ali Khan, who has been on a hunger strike since the inception of the protest, accused the university administration of launching a crackdown. He demanded that suspensions of students be revoked. Anas, another student protester, demanded revocation of the show-cause notices issued to students by the proctor and disciplinary committee. He added that the protests will continue until their demands for the restoration of the students union are met. Addressing the ongoing controversy over graffiti on the university campus showcasing the Free Kashmir slogan, Anas argued that a narrative was being peddled to disrupt this peaceful protest. Urging the university admin to probe the matter, he asserted that protesters were not involved. A narrative is being peddled to (disrupt) the protest. We dont know whether the (university) administration or someone is peddling this. This is a matter of investigation since the responsibility for the security of Jamia lies with the admin. You check the cameras to see who is writing (such slogans) and clear the matter. The protesters and (hunger) strikers are absolutely not involved in this. The protest has been peaceful since day one and will remain the same in future, he said. The students of Jamia began their protest and hunger strike on October 12. They have been pressing for their demand to restore the students' union. During the initial days of the protest, Delhi police tried to remove the protesters from the designated protest site on the university campus, which led to escalation of the demonstration. The students' union at Jamia was dissolved in March 2006. (ANI)
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