New Delhi: Three more students joined the hunger strike at the Jamia Millia Islamia protest Tuesday, taking the total number of fasting protesters to five, even as the university administration stepped up security measures around the campus.
Delhi Police , meanwhile, beefed up security around the university after receiving information about a possible protest march, deploying eight companies of additional forces and more than 300 local police personnel. Police imposed prohibitory orders under BNSS Section 163, restricting activities that could disturb public order.
However, police dismissed allegations that the university had handed over any gate or portion of its premises to the force, calling the claims “false and baseless”. Its presence was intended to maintain peace in the surrounding areas and ensure normal movement, officials said. A Vajra vehicle and Rapid Action Force personnel were also deployed, with security arrangements tightened at key points outside the campus. The university administration also intensified measures to secure the campus perimeter, with walls being raised at several gates, fencing reinforced with bricks and tin sheds installed over gates connecting to the protest site. Barricades were also placed at campus entrances. Protesters alleged police personnel had entered the campus, with some stationed inside. Meanwhile, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan organised an ‘All-India Protest Day’ against what it described as attacks on students’ democratic rights. It held a rally in DU’s North Campus in solidarity with the protesting students at Jamia, Ambedkar University Delhi, IIT Bombay and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute. KYS accused university administrations and political forces of curbing dissent, and called for wider mobilisation in support of students.