On November 14, a fact-finding report on the allegation of discrimination of non-muslims and conversion of non-muslims to Islam in Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI) was released by Justice (Retd) S N Dhingra, Former Commissioner of Delhi Police S N Srivastava and other members of the fact-finding committee in a press conference.
The fact-finding committee, in its report, found that almost every witness was deposed about the discrimination of non-muslims and bias against non-muslims in JMI, whether a non-muslim was a student or a member of the teaching faculty.
According to the report, an assistant Professor stated that she felt the bias from the very beginning and that the Muslim staff of JMI would misbehave, taunt and discriminate against non-muslims. When she submitted her PhD thesis, the Muslim clerk of the PhD section passed disparaging comments and told her that she was good for nothing and would not be able to achieve anything. The clerk, who was not even able to read the title of the PhD thesis properly, started commenting on the quality of the thesis because he was a Muslim and she was a non-muslim.
Fact-finding committee releases the report on discrimination of non-Muslims and conversion of Non-Muslims to Islam in Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi
The fact-finding committee in its report found that almost every witness deposed about the discrimination of non-muslims… pic.twitter.com/99TThJt76F
— DD News (@DDNewslive) November 14, 2024
Another non-muslim teaching faculty of JMI testified that due to his being a non-muslim, he was grossly discriminated against by his other Muslim colleagues. The facilities that were given to other Muslim colleagues, like sitting place, cabin, furniture, etc., were not given to him for a long period after joining the University, whereas the Muslim faculty members who joined after him were given all the facilities. He belongs to the SC community. When later he was made Assistant. Controller of Examination, and in that capacity, he was allotted a cabin for administration work; the staff of the examination branch started publicly commenting on how a Dy. Registrar cabin be given to a ‘Kafir’.
Another teaching faculty of JMI submitted that there was a lot of harassment and discrimination of non-muslim students and faculty members in JMI. Many tribal students, who were unable to bear this harassment, leave the University. Some convert Muslims more forcefully try to influence the students as well as the teachers to convert to Islam. She had done M.Ed. from JMI only. She deposed that one of the Professors announced in the class that unless the students followed Islam, she would not allow them to complete their M.Ed. She gave the example of herself and other converted persons (who were converted to Islam) who consequently got good posts and postings in JMI.
These are some of the briefs of the cases mentioned in the report.
Today at 4 PM, the report of the Fact-Finding Committee on Jamia Millia Islamia is being presented to the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanad Rai, the Ministry of Education and the LG of the Delhi Office.
This committee was constituted by “Call For Justice,” an NGO, after receiving vital information in respect of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi, presently a Minority Institution, regarding discrimination of non-muslims and conversions of non-muslims to Islam and the harassment being done to non-muslims. On August 4, 2024, a demonstration was held at Jantar-Mantar by scheduled caste and Balmiki Samaj members in support of one employee, Ram Niwas, who was being harassed and discriminated against in JMI because of being a non-muslim. Call For Justice also received oral and written complaints from many others in respect of the harassment/conversion of non-muslims and discrimination with non-muslims in JMI. After holding a preliminary enquiry into the allegations against JMI, Call For Justice decided to constitute a Fact Finding Committee in order to hold a detailed enquiry into the allegations.
The members of the fact-finding committee are
1. Justice (Retd.), Shiv Narayan Dhingra, Former Judge, Delhi High Court, (Chairman)
2. Sh. Rajeev Kumar Tiwari, Advocate, Delhi High Court, (Secretary)
3. Sh. Narender Kumar (IAS), Former Secretary Delhi Government (Member)
4. Sh. S.N. Srivastava, Former Commissioner of Delhi Police, (Member)
5. Dr. Nadeem Ahmad, Assistant Professor, Karori Mal College, Delhi, (Member)
6. Ms Purnima, Advocate Delhi High Court (Member)
