Ousted scholar says Jamia punished her for activism

The Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has cancelled the admission of a second-year research scholar for allegedly indulging in "campus activism", without given her "a prior notice about the move".

According to an order issued by the university on Tuesday, the admission of Dhrupadi Ghosh, who was pursuing PhD in Sociology, was being cancelled. "In the light of the office order dated September 7, 2017, issued by the Registrar, JMI, the admission of Dhrupadi Ghosh is being cancelled from PhD in Sociology," it read.

The order was marked to four people, including the Head of the Department of Sociology, and Ghosh's supervisor. The student, however, got to know about it only on Friday. "I came to know about it on Friday. This is a direct attack on me for raising my voice against various issues and fighting for democracy on the campus," she said.

Ghosh is a member of student group Dayar-I-Shauq Students' Charter (DISSC), which recently came in the spotlight for organising a cultural evening at the university's central canteen in August last week, to which the administration had objected. The event was "abruptly" called off and the participating students were allegedly manhandled by the proctorial office staff. Ghosh, along with some other students, had also held a protest at the campus over the issue.

"The democratic space at Jamia is shrinking day after day, with the administration trying to mute the voices of those who dissent. I have been singled out for raising my voice against various issues," Ghosh said.

The university authority, however, denied the charges and termed it an "academic" decision rather than an "administrative" issue. "Ghosh's PhD admission does not comply with the university guidelines. She did her masters' in fine arts, which is not allied with Sociology in Jamia," a senior varsity official said.

"Why would the university single out a student? She was not the only one who particpated in several campus protests," the official added.