- Students at Jamia Millia Islamia protested against the RSS Yuva Kumbh programme on campus
- AISA condemned the event, stating RSS has no role in the freedom movement or Jamia's campus
- The programme marked 100 years of RSS and faced opposition from multiple student groups including SFI
New Delhi: Students at Jamia Millia Islamia on Tuesday protested against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's "Yuva Kumbh" programme that was organised in the university to mark 100 years of the RSS.
The All India Students' Association (AISA) condemned the programme, stating, "RSS has no place in Jamia!" in a statement.
"RSS, which took no role in the freedom movement and even collaborated openly with the British colonisers, is today distributing the card of nationalism only in order to consolidate its power," added AISA in the statement.
The programme was reportedly organised within the university as part of "Yuva Kumbh" - a series of events marking 100 years of the RSS. Following the protest, a heavy police force was stationed outside the university's campus.
During the event, students raised slogans and demanded that the event be cancelled, arguing that such programmes were inappropriate for a central university campus. The protest reflects a broader pattern, with similar RSS-linked events in Delhi University colleges also drawing opposition in recent weeks.
The Jamia unit of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) had earlier objected to the programme, calling the permission granted by the administration a "provocation". The group alleged that hosting an event celebrating the RSS centenary on a campus with a large minority student population raised concerns over safety and dignity.
In a statement, the SFI demanded that "the university immediately withdraw permission and sought an explanation from the administration for allowing the event."
Jamia authorities had not issued an official response at the time of reporting.
The development comes against the backdrop of a history of politically charged student mobilisation at Jamia, which has seen repeated protests over contentious issues in recent years, underlining the campus's role as a key site of student activism in the capital.
