New Delhi: A Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) student has alleged the university administration pressured him to remove a social media video flagging discrepancies in the admission process and threatened him with a defamation case for allegedly “tarnishing the image” of the university. Faizan Ali Khan, an MA Gender Studies aspirant, said the entrance examination was held May 8 and results were announced June 25, in which he stood 27th in the general waiting list and 12th in the Muslim waiting list. He alleged in the second spot round, announced Aug 19, he was not allotted a seat, while four candidates below him in the general waiting list and three below him in the Muslim waiting list were admitted.“The Controller of Examinations’ office said it was an administrative issue. I was told there could be a disciplinary committee or a show-cause notice against me, because of which I was not given admission,” Faizan said. He said several other students and parents with similar grievances were also present at the office. Faizan, who is also the NSUI president at JMI, posted a video Aug 20 detailing the claims on social media, and alleged he was subsequently called to the proctor’s office following a complaint from the CoE that he had created a “ruckus” at the office. “I was asked to post a clarification saying a glitch was responsible for my name not appearing,” he alleged, claiming the administration told him his name could be brought onto the admission roll if he cooperated. Early Tuesday, JMI released a fresh admission list that included Faizan and another applicant, Ayaan Ali, an engineering diploma applicant who had raised similar concerns. A third applicant, Insha, seeking admission to B.Ed, was not included in this list, her father said. He alleged candidates ranked below her had received admission, and said the family had been asked to submit an application at the CoE office. JMI chief public relations officer Saima Saeed said the administration had received Faizan’s grievance and found a technical glitch, following which the error was rectified and a fresh list issued. “The student did not wait for the issue to be resolved and started the protest. The proctorial board was trying to address the issue with him. The administration has already resolved the matter; allegations beyond that appear to indicate other interests,” she said, adding that anybody else not included must not be in the merit list. Faizan’s allegation comes amid a student stir since Monday night over alleged admission irregularities, with several applicants claiming candidates lower in merit were allotted seats while they were denied admission.
