New Delhi: Allegations of religious conversions involving non-Muslim students at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) have sparked outrage among students and faculty, who strongly deny the claims and accuse Hindutva groups of orchestrating a smear campaign to tarnish the university’s reputation, reports The Print.
Mohammed Alfauz Azmi, a PhD scholar at JMI and member of the Fraternity Movement, a student wing of the Welfare Party of India, firmly rejected the allegations. “These claims are baseless and are being propagated by Hindutva organisations with the sole aim of defaming our institution,” Azmi said, emphasising that such incidents are unfounded and unsupported by any credible evidence.
Azmi, along with other students, expressed concerns about the growing interference of Hindutva groups in academic spaces, which they believe is part of a broader effort to target Muslim institutions and sow division.
“Nothing of this sort happens here. The university has always been a space of inclusivity, democracy, and academic freedom,” he added.
The controversy began after a report by an NGO claimed that religious conversions were taking place at Jamia, a claim that has been widely dismissed by students and faculty as a deliberate attempt to malign the university’s image. Some students also recounted personal experiences of feeling pressured, including instances where they were asked to wear the hijab.
Additionally, many accused the administration of facilitating the “saffronisation” of the university, citing what they perceive as growing external influences undermining the institution’s secular and inclusive ethos.
The controversy over these conversion allegations has only intensified the debate on the role of Hindutva ideologies in influencing higher education institutions across the country, particularly those with a significant Muslim student body.
Jamia Millia Islamia, a prominent university with a rich legacy of academic excellence, has always been a centre of learning that promotes diversity and social justice. The ongoing debate highlights the challenges faced by Muslim educational institutions in an environment increasingly dominated by polarising political forces.
