Recently, a fact finding committee headed by Retd. Justice S.N. Dhingra and others, formed by an NGO named Call for Justice held a detailed enquiry into the allegations of discrimination made over a time by various members of the Jamia, which includes faculty and non-faculty members apart from the students of Jamia. The report caused a stir in the circles as it opened the pandora box . The 64-page report contained the statements and testimonies by teaching faculties and non teaching faculties regarding the discrimination and harassment made against them in the premises of Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI).
The committee’s terms of reference included examining the cases of harassment and victimisation of non-Muslims, understanding the reasons behind the decline in the number of non-Muslim students and staff since 2011, and identifying the role of university officials in fostering a hostile atmosphere. Furthermore, the committee was directed to investigate any anti-national activities allegedly taking place on the university campus and to address incidental matters arising during the investigation.
On 04.08.2024 a demonstration was held at Jantar-Mantar by schedule caste and Balmiki Samaj members in support of one employee Mr. Ram Niwas, who was being harassed and discriminated in JMI because of being a non-muslim.
Call For Justice also received oral and written complaints from many others due to the harassment/conversion of non-Muslims and discrimination with non-Muslims in JMI.
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)
Jamia Milia Islamia Alumni Association of Minorities (JMIAAM) comprehended the report of Justice Dhingra and stated that it “would like to inform the concerned stakeholders, the University administration & the Police that Jamia is being hijacked by radicals through their consistent mischievous activities.”
Today, it is evident that the Hindu students and community cannot celebrate the festivals like Holi and Diwali . The recent violent disruptions by the mischievous radical elements during the Diwali celebrations provides a testimony to this .
Jamia Milia Islamia, has become a den of anti-Bharat and anti-Hindu elements . The anti-CAA protests in the Shaheen Bagh testified to it . In the name of minority institution it has appropriated discrimination and harassment against the SC/ST and OBC community . There have also been a number of forced conversions in the Jamia Milia Islamia in the name of promotions and regularisations of employees thus leading to the cases of Job Jihad present in the campus . Not only limited to discrimination, Hindu students, professors, and staff were allegedly subjected to threats of acid attacks and rape for resisting conversions. The report also claims that Hindu students are deliberately failed in exams in order to coerce them into conversion. Muslim faculty members and students were accused of perpetrating these acts. Such has been the facts summed up by the fact finding committee . The report also pointed to the influence of radical Muslim organisations on campus accused of brainwashing the individuals.
Why the Committee was constituted ?
The catalyst for this investigation was the case of Mr. Ram Niwas Singh, a Dalit employee at JMI, who filed a First Information Report (FIR) against senior university officials, including Professor Nazim Hussain Al Jafri, Mohammad Nasim Haidar, and Professor Shahid Tasleem. Singh accused them of caste-based harassment and attempts to coerce him into converting to Islam.
On July 15, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Professor Nazim Hussain Al Jafri, Mohammad Nasim Haidar and Professor Shahid Tasleem of Jamia Millia Islamia University under Sections 3(1)(p) and 3(1)(q) of the SC/ST Act. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Ram Niwas Singh who was working as an Assistant in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University. OpIndia accessed copy of FIR. Nazim Hussain Al-Jafri is the Official Registrar, Nasim Haider is the Deputy Registrar and Shahid Tasleem is a professor at the University. Ram Niwas Singh, who is a Dalit employee at the University, has accused them of misconduct including hurling caste-based slurs against him, dehumanising treatment and forcing him to convert to Islam. In his complaint, Ram Niwas Singh said that he joined the University as an Upper Division Clerk on March 30th 2007 under the reserved category and is currently working as an Assistant in the Faculty of Natural Sciences. He was on deputation as an Assistant in IHBAS from 1st December 2015 to November 30th 2021 and rejoined Jamia on December 1st 2021. He sought No Objection Certificates from the officials at the University so that he could apply for high positions but the requests were rejected without any reason.
He added that he was transferred multiple times within the University merely after a gap of 2-3 months on the pretext of administrative reasons. He also filed a case at the National Commission for Scheduled Castes . He added that no one in the University was being denied opportunities for professional growth the way he was.
Case of Conversion in Varsity
The committee recorded testimonies from 27 witnesses, ranging from faculty and non-faculty staff to students and former students of the university. These witnesses described a problematic environment of discrimination and alleged that they are being pressurised to convert to Islam. However, the identity of a number of witnesses has been kept confidential by the committee as these individuals expressed their fear of being getting further victimised by the radical elements of the varsity .
Here are instances of victims, who faced discrimination and harassment , who made their testimony in front of the committee.
Witness number 1, referred to as CW-1 in the report, told the committee that she experienced bias and harassment for being a non-Muslim since the beginning of her tenure at JMI. She is an assistant professor at the university and alleged that her Muslim colleagues frequently misbehaved, taunted, and discriminated against her. During her academic progression, she faced hurdles, including the initial refusal to extend her study leave for pursuing a PhD, despite the availability of guest faculty to cover her duties.
She further informed the committee that when she eventually completed her PhD and applied for promotion to Associate Professor, her application was blocked by a Muslim clerk. The clerk allegedly mocked her qualifications. She filed complaints with the Registrar and sought an appointment with the Vice-Chancellor, but no action was taken. She was denied promotion while her less-qualified Muslim juniors progressed in their careers without any issues. She testified that she faced continuous pressure to convert to Islam. Her colleagues frequently criticised Hindu faith and customs, urging her to adopt Islam for “safety and dignity.” When she refused, incidents of harassment increased, including being overburdened with work, professional isolation, and being bypassed for opportunities. She alleged that such practices were common against non-Muslims within the university.
Blatant Discrimination
Witness number 2, referred to as CW-2, told the committee that being a non-Muslim, and from the Scheduled Caste (SC), he was subjected him to severe discrimination at Jamia Millia Islamia. He joined the university as a teaching faculty member but was denied basic facilities such as a sitting space and a cabin. The same facilities were provided to his Muslim colleagues who joined after him. When he filed complaints with the Head of the Department and the Vice-Chancellor, no action was taken. Higher officials allegedly submitted fake reports to the Vice-Chancellor claiming that facilities had been provided to him.
When Witness number 2 threatened to file an FIR under the SC/ST Act, the university hurriedly constituted a committee and persuaded him not to file the FIR. Eventually, he was allocated workspace, but it was taken back when the Vice-Chancellor changed. It was only after he was made Assistant Controller of Examination that he received a cabin. After this, he faced abuses such as, “How could a Deputy Registrar’s office be given to a Kafir.” He also faced derogatory remarks about his attire and Hindu religious symbols, such as wearing a tilak or kalawa. Furthermore, he was denied key responsibilities, such as supervising PhD students or preparing examination papers. However, his Muslim colleagues faced no such issues in securing these responsibilities. He alleged that his promotion was blocked due to his religion, and one Muslim staff member reportedly said that the post “should not go to a Kafir.”
Witness number 3, referred to as CW-3 in the report, recounted the harassment and discrimination she faced at the university. She described instances of being pressured to convert to Islam during her tenure as a teaching faculty member. She alleged that professors openly favoured Muslim students and staff while threatening and harassing Hindus who resisted conversion efforts.
Acid Attack Threat
In a further shocking testimony, she informed the committee that a senior faculty member, Professor Amutul Halim, threatened her with acid attacks and rape if she did not embrace Islam. Her work assignments were reportedly manipulated to overburden her. Maternity leave was initially denied despite health complications. Her promotion was delayed, and she had to fight for interviews, including seeking judicial intervention to secure her professional rights. She named several faculty members, including Sara Begum and Farhana Khatun, who attempted to force her to convert, but she did not relent.
Witness number 4, or CW-4, told the committee that he was repeatedly pressured by his Muslim colleague, Dr Saiyad Shahid Ali, to read the Quran and embrace Islamic teachings. Dr Ali would call him every 2–3 weeks to enquire about his progress, after which CW-4 began avoiding him. He experienced delays in routine promotions and was subjected to discriminatory behaviour.
He mentioned that his routine promotions were delayed while his Muslim colleagues received theirs on time. When he protested, no action was taken.
On May 18th, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Government of India, summoned Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Professor Najma Akhtar to participate in an investigation based on a complaint pertaining to the arbitrary scrapping of SC/ST reservation in recruitment to the teaching and non-teaching positions and promotions. The complaint was filed by Bhupendra Pal Singh Chamar, International President, World Dalit Counsel, and State President, Akhil Bhartiya Chamar Mahar Jatav Mahasabha on May 11th. Akhtar was asked to submit the facts and action taken on the allegations within seven days of the receipt of the notice.
In his complaint filed on May 11th, Bhupendra said that his organisation came across the matter of abrogating the constitutionally mandated Government of India scheme of Reservation for SC/ST community in a publicly funded, Central University i.e. Jamia Millia Islamia.
2011 : Year of appeasement by cone
The then Congress-headed Central Government ensured that SC/ST reservation, as mandated by the Constitution, was removed from Jamia Millia Islamia (2011) and Aligarh Muslim University (1981) in favour of Muslims, even though both are Govt funded. Congress has also ensured that ‘minority’ institutions, even if State funded, don’t have to provide reservations for the SC/ST and OBCs. Not just this, the Congress tried five times, to give reservation to Muslims in Andhra. The Court struck it down each time.
There is a pending case in the Delhi High Court challenging National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) order that granted Religious Minority Institute status to the University in 2011.
The order was challenged in the Delhi High Court soon after the orders were passed. Despite the pending case, the University scrapped SC/ST reservations and approved religion-based appointments and reservations in 2014, citing the NCMEI order of 2011.
However, in 2018, the Government of Bharat submitted a fresh affidavit in the Delhi High Court against the affidavit submitted by the previous government and opposed the minority status given to Jamia Millia Islamia University by NCMEI .
Anti- CAA Protests, Jamia and the Foreign connection
Salil Shetty, VP of Open Society Foundation of Soros, was seen addressing the protesters at the infamous Shaheen Bagh protest site, where the anti-CAA protesters had blocked a major road in Delhi for several months, which eventually led to the Delhi riots, 2020. The anti-CAA protests become violent on December 15, 2019 and the Delhi Police officially claimed that 150 members of the now banned Popular Front of India (PFI) entered in Delhi and hid in Jamia area two days before the riots. As per a India Today report of December 29,2019 citing a senior police officer stated that University’s administration was unwilling to hand over the CCTV recordings of that day to the Police !
Delhi police also claimed in a court on April 2020 that huge funding from West Asia was provided to Jamia Millia Islamia University Alumni Association to carry out anti-CAA protests. As per the Delhi Police Chargesheet, one accused Shafi Ur Rahman is the president of this association. Between December 1 2019 to February 26 2020, AAJMI received Rs 760,000 as cash out of which it got Rs 555,000 from alumni working in Saudi, the UAE, Oman and Qatar but this amount was not deposited in the bank accounts of AAJMI and was spent in funding the anti-CAA protests.
During the investigation, the police also seized fake bills of the expenses worth Rs 169,554 in the name of AAJMI. “This shows that the accused had tried to cover up his mistakes,” the chargesheet reads.
Thus, today’s Jamia is presenting us a classic case that how far the politics of Muslim appeasement could go ahead ! Claiming separate rights, becoming a den of Anti-Bharat activities and humiliating, harassing and adopting discriminatory practice against the Hindus has now become a hallmark of such Islamic institutions. A whole of society review is needed to tackle such problem.
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