Jamia students stage protest; demand reopening of campus, resumption of physical classes

NEW DELHI: A group of Jamia Millia Islamia students staged a protest outside the campus here on Monday demanding the reopening of the university which has been closed since last year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The varsity administration, however, maintained that a decision in this regard will be taken by the Executive Council (EC) after consultations with all stakeholders. The students raised slogans demanding that the varsity should proceed with phase-wise reopening like the Delhi University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

A larger group of students had staged a protest last week questioning the university's decision to keep the campus shut when other educational institutions were reopening with COVID-19 protocols. A senior Delhi Police official said a group of around 20 students gathered outside the JMI campus demanding reopening of the varsity. "They wanted the university administration to resume classes, canteen and library.

They staged a protest and left after a while. Nobody was detained," he said. According to the university spokesperson, "Views of all stakeholders, including students and parents, will be taken into consideration before a decision on reopening the campus is taken by the EC, the highest decision making body of the varsity". "A large number of students and parents already wrote to the university administration, saying online teaching should continue as the environment is still not conducive for offline classes considering the COVID-19 cases and discovery of the South African and Brazilian mutant strains of coronavirus in the country" he said.

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