Jamia Millia Islamia University found itself to be the focus of controversy after it cancelled the admission of scholar Safoora Zargar, who was imprisoned in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots case.
Safoora Zargar’s admission to Jamia Millia Islamia University has been revoked after she was imprisoned in connection with the 2020 Delhi Riots case.
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was enacted to prosecute Zargar. The prosecution said that on February 23, 2020, she gave an “inflammatory speech” that sparked riots and violence in North East Delhi, resulting in at least 53 deaths and hundreds of injuries over the course of the following three days.
Due to her pregnancy and humanitarian reasons, Zargar received bail in June 2020.
Zargar tweeted on Monday that the university had rejected her admission. She was enrolled in the integrated MPhil-PhD programme at the sociology department.
Zargar’s progress report was rated as unsatisfactory by the supervisor, the office of the dean (faculty of social sciences) declared in a statement dated August 26.
“The scholar did not apply for an extension as a woman scholar before the expiry of stipulated maximum period,” the statement said.
“The scholar did not submit her MPhil dissertation within the maximum stipulated time of five semesters plus one additional semester of Covid extension that was also given to her, which ended on February 6, 2022.”
According to the dean’s office, Zargar was the target of legal action after the Departmental Research Committee and the Research Advisory Committee both recommended it on July 5 and August 22, respectively.
The notification also stated that the Board of Studies had accepted the withdrawal of her admission.
“Hence, the registration of Safoora Zargar from M.Phil-Ph.D. [Sociology] stands cancelled w.e.f. 22 August 2022, in anticipation of the approval of the same of the Faculty Committee,” the notification read.
Zargar announced last week via Twitter that her request to extend the deadline for the submission of the MPhil thesis has been put on hold for eight months.
“Since December 2021, I have been made to run from pillar to post for extensions that are easily given to other scholars in the university,” she wrote.“I have faced severe abuse at the hands of my supervisor and my department.”
She expressed concerns about being harassed by the administration in a letter to Jamia’s vice chancellor, Najma Akhtar, dated August 24, according to PTI.
“While UGC has granted five consecutive Covid extensions I have been given only one,” she said in the letter.
“I was forced to apply for an extension under the women scholar category, only to be denied after months citing ‘unsatisfactory progress’. This is in clear violation of the guidelines laid down by the University Grants Commission and points to the malafide intentions of the supervisor and the department.”
Zargar responded to the decision, saying that it “breaks my heart, but not my spirit”.
