A day after tensions erupted at Jamia Millia Islamia, a central university in Delhi, over Deepawali celebrations, fresh unrest unfolded on the morning of October 23. This time, students and staff preparing to celebrate ‘Valmiki Prakatostav‘ were denied entry to the campus as they carried a murti of Maharishi Valmiki with them.
According to information obtained by Organiser, tensions escalated when members of the Bharatiya Valmiki Samaj and sanitation department employees attempted to bring the murti of Maharishi Valmiki onto the campus. The celebration, which was intended to mark the birth anniversary of Valmiki, had been planned well in advance, with event flyers distributed and necessary permissions secured.
The event was scheduled to take place on October 23, starting at 11 AM at the CIT Conference Hall within the Jamia campus. The list of invitees included prominent figures such as Hind Kushti convener Olympian Jai Prakash Pahalwan, Road and Transport Minister Harsh Malhotra, Member of Parliament Ramveer Singh Bidhuri, and Mohammad Naseem Haider, among others.
Crucially, permission for the event had been granted not only by the university administration but also by the Station House Officer (SHO) of Okhla Police Station, Jamia Nagar. A letter to the SHO, accessed by Organiser, shows that the event organisers had requested police protection and security arrangements for the celebration.
Despite this, around 100 sanitation workers were stopped by the administration and police as they gathered at the Centenary Gate of the university, ready to celebrate Valmiki Jayanti. “They didn’t let us celebrate on campus, even though we had prior permission from the administration,” said 47-year-old Rakesh Kumar Valmiki, a sanitation worker at the university.
New one from #JamiaMilliaIslamia
This happens when a Central Govt funded institute falls in a “Muslim Area”
On October 23, the Bharatiya Valmiki Samaj organised the ‘Valmiki Prakatotsav Diwas’. They had permission to hold the event on campus; however, when the organisers… pic.twitter.com/g5EQVa3bRI
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) October 24, 2024
A police officer was quoted by media sources explaining the situation: “They are employees of the university and had permission to celebrate inside. However, since they did not have permission to bring the murti onto the campus, we had to stop them at the gate.”
Kumar, who has worked at Jamia Millia Islamia for the past 24 years, confirmed that they had received approval to use the Conference Hall at the FTK Centre for Information Technology from 10:30 AM to 1 PM for the Valmiki Jayanti celebration. “We have been celebrating the Jayanti for the past six years inside the campus, but this year, they didn’t allow us to go in. We waited at the gate with Valmiki ji’s idol. The Proctor came around 11:30 AM and told us not to bring the idol inside. We complied and peacefully celebrated the occasion at the gate,” Kumar explained.
Tara Chand, a fellow sanitation worker, expressed his frustration, saying, “There are several statues on the campus, from Ghalib to Iqbal and others, but they have an issue with our deity, Bhagwan Valmiki, the author of the Ramayan.”
Another sanitation worker, Hari Pahalwan, shared with this correspondent, “We have been celebrating Valmiki Jayanti on campus for the past 6-7 years. In previous years, we would set up a photo banner, and the event would be attended by the dean and other dignitaries. This year, some members wanted to bring an idol of Valmiki ji, and that’s where the issue began. The administration assumed we were planning to install the idol on campus, which sparked the tensions.”
He added, “We have always participated in their festivals, like Eid, and we’ve lived peacefully taking part in all celebrations.”
In addition to this disruption, at least four individuals, including members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), were detained for protesting what they perceived as discrimination against the Valmiki Jayanti event.
Palestine Zinadabad on Deepawali event
The unrest followed another incident on October 22, when Jamia Millia Islamia had been festively decorated for Deepawali celebrations. Colourful rangolis adorned the campus, and thousands of diyas were lit as students prepared to head home for the holidays. The event, organised by student groups and the Rashtriya Kala Manch under the banner ‘Jyotirmaya 2024,’ was intended to be a cultural gathering featuring music and competitions.
However, this peaceful celebration was abruptly interrupted when Muslim students protested the festivities, raising slogans like “Nara-e-Taqbeer” and, shockingly, “Palestine Zindabad.”
Allahu Akbar from Jamia Millia Islamia:
Hindu students on campus organised a Pre-Deepavali celebration, ‘Jyotirgamaya 2024,’ which was met with slogans like “Palestine Zindabad” and “Allahu Akbar”
A Centrally funded institute for us: pic.twitter.com/TvtxX5E1Ng
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) October 22, 2024
Some Islamist students took to social media, claiming that the unrest began when Hindu students allegedly chanted “Jai Shri Ram.” This claim was refuted by many, who pointed out that chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ during a festival celebrating Bhagwan Ram’s return to Ayodhya after his 14-year exile is entirely appropriate. “It’s almost as if chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ has become blasphemous,” one participant remarked.
Following these protests, Hindu students were eventually allowed to celebrate Deepawali on October 23, but only under the watchful eye of a significant police presence. “There were more police officers than students. It felt like we weren’t in India but in Bangladesh. What kind of freedom is this? This is my college, my university, and I should be allowed to celebrate whichever festival I want. This isn’t Sharia rule,” one student, speaking anonymously, told Organiser.
On October 22, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Southeast Ravi Kumar Singh commented on the situation: “A group of ABVP-affiliated students was setting up diyas and making rangolis for Diwali, which displeased another group of students. The other group destroyed the decorations, leading to a scuffle. Both sides engaged in sloganeering. Police were deployed to maintain peace, and they remained on-site through the night as a precautionary measure. Students were ordered to disperse, and the crowd left by 9 PM.”
Spate of protests at Jamia
This isn’t the first time Jamia Millia Islamia has witnessed opposition to Hindu festivals. In March 2023, students reportedly disrupted Holi celebrations on campus. The event, called ‘Rangotsav‘ and organized by university students, was intended to mark the Hindu festival of colours, but it devolved into unrest as students opposed the celebration.
It is worth noting that celebrating Hindu festivals is considered ‘haram‘ in Islam, and for years, Islamists have actively opposed such celebrations, often turning to violence. From religious processions on Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami to Saraswati Puja, incidents of stone-pelting, arson, and vandalism during these events have been well-documented. Alarmingly, these attacks are not just confined to the streets anymore but have infiltrated educational institutions, where such extremism was once unimaginable.
