Negotiations underway, nobody should create law and order situation: Pralhad Joshi on Jamia protests

New Delhi, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said negotiations are underway with protesting Jamia Millia Islamia students and no one should try to create a law and order situation on the campus.

The minister's comments came on the 16th day of the protest demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU), with students refusing to call off their agitation despite the university's decision to hold elections within 15 days of the approval of the union's constitution.

"Many efforts have been made and these elections are not being held since more than a decade... negotiations are going on... no one should try to create a law and order problem, this is what I can appeal for. Whatever issues or concerns are being raised by students, there is a body which is looking into it," Joshi told reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the CBSE Experience Centre here.


The protesting students have demanded a definite date for the polls, which have not been held since 2006, and a clear timeline for approving the student union's constitution.

Raising slogans against the administration, the students on Tuesday opposed the shifting of classes online and the closure of campus facilities amid the ongoing agitation.

The students also claimed that all gates and entry points to the university had been sealed.

In a statement, the student groups alleged that security guards, along with the university's security advisor, were "handing over" students to police at the campus gates, leading to "arbitrary" detentions and arrests.

They also claimed that the closure of the library and other campus facilities, alongside the shift to online classes, had caused difficulties for students, particularly women.

The groups demanded the immediate restoration of the JMISU and the resignation of the chief proctor and security advisor, while urging people to extend support to the protesting students by providing essential supplies, including food and drinking water.