New Delhi. Call of Justice Trust, in one of its fact finding reports, has made serious allegations of discrimination against non-Muslims and pressure for conversion in Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI). This report states that discrimination on religious grounds and prejudice against non-Muslims exists in the institute. This report has been prepared in 65 pages, in which non-Muslim faculty members, students, staff and alumni of Jamia have been interviewed.
The report includes testimony from a total of 27 people, including seven professors and faculty members, eight-nine staff, 10 students and some alumni. The report has been handed over to Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, Education Ministry and Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, so that further action can be taken in the matter. It took three months to prepare the report. The team was led by retired Delhi High Court Justice SN Dhingra, while the six-member team also included former Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava.
The fact-finding committee that inquired into “Discrimination” and “Conversion” of Non-Muslims to Islam in Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi has named 16 faculty members as having tried to intimidate and convert non-Muslim students.
Here’s a sample of the depositions made… pic.twitter.com/9FNus8Q2q7
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) November 15, 2024
Increase in allegations after Ram Niwas episode
It was reported in the report that in August this year, members of Scheduled Caste and Valmiki community had protested at Jantar Mantar in support of Jamia Millia employee Ram Niwas. His allegation was that due to being a non-Muslim, he was being harassed and facing discrimination in Jamia. Additionally, the Call of Justice Trust had received several oral and written complaints regarding harassment, religious conversion and discrimination of non-Muslims in Jamia.
discrimination charges
The report also includes the statement of a female assistant professor, in which she said that she felt prejudice in Jamia from the very beginning. According to him, Muslim employees used to misbehave with non-Muslims. In one incident, while submitting her PhD thesis, a Muslim clerk made derogatory comments to her and said that she would not be able to achieve anything. He also reported that the clerk did not read the title of his thesis properly, but commented on its quality.
Additionally, another non-Muslim faculty member said he faced discrimination in facilities provided to Muslim colleagues, such as seating space, cabins, and furniture. A faculty member belonging to a Scheduled Caste said that when he was allotted a cabin, the examination branch staff asked, “How come an ‘infidel’ was given a cabin.”
Allegation of pressure for conversion
A more serious allegation emerged in the report, in which a former ST student said that a teacher had announced in class that his MD would not be completed unless he practiced Islam. The teacher gave examples of students who received good behavior and support after converting to Islam.