Following a report by Organiser on July 17, 2024, a massive protest took place today at Jantar Mantar in Delhi by the Valmiki Chaudhary Sarpanch Committee Delhi.
Organised by the Delhi Sarv Samaj and Valmiki Mahapanchayat, people from different communities came together at Jantar Mantar to protest against the registrar and professors of Jamia Millia Islamia accused of forced religious conversion, caste-based slurs, and dehumanising treatment. The protesters demanded that the accused officials should be suspended immediately.
Notably, the issue was first brought to light by Organiser Weekly, revolves around Ram Niwas Singh, (belongs to Valmiki community) working as an assistant at Jamia Milia Islamia. Singh has accused Prof Nazir Hussain Jafri (Acting Registrar), Naseem Haider (Deputy Registrar), and Shahid Tasleem (Head of the Department of Foreign Languages) of forced religious conversion and harassment. Consequently, the Sarv Samaj demanded from the Jantar Mantar platform the immediate arrest and necessary action against these officials.
The Mahapanchayat alleged that the higher authorities at Jamia Millia Islamia have been committing severe atrocities and injustices against the Dalits and Valmiki communities for years. The situation has now escalated to forced religious conversions, prompting a call to action for everyone to awaken to this cause.
Members of the Valmiki community expressed their anger, highlighting the continuous humiliation they face at the university. They cited instances where Prof Nazir Hussain Jafri, Naseem Haider, and Shahid Tasleem repeatedly used casteist slurs and pressured dalits and valmikis to convert to Islam, claiming it would solve all their problems. They recounted past instances of Hindu students converting to Islam at Jamia and at other educational institutions, denouncing the Hindu religion as mere hypocrisy.
The Valmiki community vowed to continue their movement until the three accused are removed from their positions and arrested. They also emphasisaed the fear among victims of being falsely implicated in cases as long as these officials remain in their posts.
The Valmiki community also declared that if the three accused are not promptly arrested and necessary actions are not taken, the entire Dalit, Valmiki, and Sarv Samaj communities would be compelled to take their protest to the streets.
It is to be noted that, an FIR has been lodged under sections of the Prevention of Atrocities Act at the Jamia Nagar Police Station in South-East Delhi. The FIR, numbered 249/2024, was officially filed on July 15, 2024.
According to the FIR, Ram Niwas Singh has detailed his harrowing experiences at the university. He stated that he has been subjected to continuous caste-based discrimination and verbal abuse. More disturbingly, he claims he was pressured to convert to Islam as a supposed solution to the mistreatment he faced.
In his complaint, Singh specifically mentioned that Professor Nazim Hussain Al-Jafri asked him to bring “Iman” (faith) and convert to Islam. Al-Jafri promised that converting would end the abuses and problems Singh was encountering at the University.
Furthermore, Al-Jafri purportedly assured Singh that not only would his own career improve, but his children’s futures would also be secured if he embraced Islam.
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