It is essential to protect Jamia from the ugly actions of organisations like the RSS so that this institution can uphold its tradition of intellectual freedom and tolerance
AS an alumnus, I deeply love and cherish my connection with Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. It’s here I acquired knowledge and inculcated the values of tolerance, diversity, and free thinking. Jamia, to me, is a living history that reflects India’s multicultural spirit. Its corridors and classrooms always remind me that education is not about power but about serving humanity. Today, as the university faces yet another controversy, my heart feels sad and uneasy.
This weekend (5 October), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers held a march called “Path Sanchalan” near Gate No. 7 and 8 of the university, an embodiment of secularism and pluralism, to celebrate their organisation’s 100th anniversary. Thousands of volunteers, dressed in traditional uniforms and carrying sticks, marched under tight Delhi Police security. This caused a lot of anger and unease among Jamia students, staff, and residents of the nearby localities.
Student groups like the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students’ Association (AISA) have termed the march “discriminatory,” saying it “targeted” Jamia and was a clear example of “saffronisation” (imposing Hindutva ideology). Many secular faculty members saw it as a symbolic attack on the university’s secular identity, part of a planned conspiracy to weaken Jamia’s historic values. The march may seem like a small event, but historically and ideologically, it’s not just a physical act — it’s an intellectual move with effects that could last decades. Given its timing and location, it was clearly a provocative step, meant to undermine Jamia’s secular image and create fear and division among students.
In India’s intellectual and political history, Jamia Millia Islamia and the RSS are two parallel streams that emerged in the same era but flowed in opposite directions. Jamia was born in 1920 from the Indian freedom movement. Its founders — Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Sheikhul Hind Mahmud Hasan, and Dr. Zakir Husain — made it a centre of intellectual and academic resistance against British rule. The institution represents a vision of India that rises above religious identity, embodying unity in diversity. Jamia has always embraced secularism and inclusive education, and its history is tied to great leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, and Maulana Azad, who saw it as an intellectual fortress against colonial oppression. Here, education is not just professional training but a process of thinking, questioning, reasoning and seeking justice.
Jamia’s Secular Identity
Despite this, some groups find Jamia deeply troubling. Recently, especially during the 2019 protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), reports of police violence, arrests, and maltreatment of students made headlines nationally and internationally. Jamia students played a key role in the fight for constitutional rights and citizenship, reflecting the institution’s social conscience. In this context, the recent RSS march raises another question about Jamia’s secular identity. Was it just a display, or was it meant to provoke, anger, or serve a deeper ideological purpose? This question matters because, despite being a Muslim-majority institution, Jamia has always stood firm on secular principles. Efforts to undermine its historical importance or make it controversial are attacks on India’s secular foundations.
To understand this, let’s delve deep into history. The RSS was started in 1925 in Nagpur by Dr KB Hedgewar to unite Hindus into one religious and cultural group. Instead of fighting for India’s freedom, its leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar aided and abetted the British Raj. The RSS has always worked to divide people in the name of religion and push for a “Hindu nation.” To see its problems and dirty politics, we need to look at its main ideas. Hedgewar and later MS Golwalkar based nationalism on Hindu culture and supremacy. In his 1939 book We, or Our Nationhood Defined, Golwalkar said, “India is a Hindu nation, and other religious groups are just guests.” This goes against India’s rule of treating all religions equally and causes hatred, riots, and division. The RSS’s politics are against diversity and target minorities in the name of Hindutva. For example, its role in the 1992 Babri Masjid riots or supporting hate speeches against minorities recently shows its harmful politics.
The RSS’s ideas focus on weakening India’s secular system through actions like influencing schools or showing off power in public. Its aim is a Hindu nation, as Golwalkar wrote in the original text: “The foreign races in Hindusthan must either adopt the Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but those of the glorification of the Hindu race and culture, i.e., of the Hindu nation and must lose their separate existence to merge in the Hindu race, or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu Nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment—not even citizen’s rights.” (We, or Our Nationhood Defined, Bharat Publications, Nagpur, 1939, Chapter 6). He also said, in the original text: “To keep up the purity of the Race and its culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the Semitic Races—the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well-nigh impossible it is for Races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimilated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindusthan to learn and profit by.”
Jamia and the RSS represent two very different ideological worlds. On one side, Jamia stands for education, dialogue, and a nationalism that embraces humanity and inclusivity. On the other, the RSS promotes a nationalism rooted in cultural and religious majority, which opposes diversity and sows seeds of violence, aggression, and hatred.
Place Symbolism
In this context, an RSS parade near Jamia gates isn’t just an organisational event. In politics, “place symbolism” is a key idea, where showing power at a specific location signals ideological dominance. Political theorist Henri Lefebvre, in his 1974 book The Production of Space, wrote that every “place” is not just a physical reality but a social creation. The RSS parade near Jamia is an example of this, where controlling a “place” means controlling the narrative. It challenges Jamia’s intellectual identity and is an attempt at “spatial domination,” where a powerful group tries to redefine a place’s meaning. This not only undermines Jamia’s historical importance but also aims to create fear and division among students and faculty.
This pattern has historically been seen at many places. In Jerusalem, a holy city for three Abrahamic religions, every powerful group tries to claim the space with its symbols. The dastardly demolition of Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya is another clear example of “spatial politics,” where religious claims became a struggle for political control. Historically, when an ideological group steps into an opponent’s symbolic space, it’s called the politics of power and victory.
Public Parades
In European history, fascism used public parades as part of its politics, like in Mussolini’s Italy or Hitler’s Germany, where uniforms, discipline, and collective displays were tools to influence public minds. Social philosopher Emilio Gentile called fascism a “political religion” that creates belief through symbols and rituals. RSS parades follow a similar pattern, serving as a psychological expression of ideological dominance. Everyone knows that before and after India’s independence, Jamia has always been a space for intellectual diversity, free thought, and minority rights. Its ethos is rooted in unity in diversity and justice. It’s a cornerstone of India’s current intellectual battle. Meanwhile, the RSS’s idea of nationalism is based on religious unity, dreaming of a “Hindu Rashtra” with violence and destruction. In contrast, Jamia represents an inclusive, constitutional vision of India.
Accountability
A key question arises: who is responsible for such actions at Jamia? The answer is bitter and disheartening. We ourselves are responsible, especially those Muslim professors at Jamia who, for the sake of permanent positions, small benefits, or personal gains, collaborate with such organisations. Some faculty members’ secret ties or political affiliations with the RSS endanger Jamia’s intellectual freedom. Certain professors attend RSS programmes, maintain contact with its officials, and sometimes participate in their events, weakening Jamia’s secular values. This hypocrisy not only hollows out the institution’s foundations but also harms the struggles of its students, founders, and sincere supporters. This situation is particularly tragic because an institution like Jamia, a champion of minority educational rights and secularism, is being internally undermined by elements aligning with external forces.
It’s vital to recall Jamia’s historical struggle. Its founders envisioned it as a centre of academic excellence and a symbol of India’s unity in diversity. Maulana Azad once said, “India’s greatness lies in its diversity, and Jamia is a fortress protecting that diversity.” Similarly, Gandhi ji called Jamia a “symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity,” open to all religions and communities. Today, when groups like the RSS demonstrate their power at Jamia’s gates, it’s not just an attack on the institution’s historical legacy but also a challenge to India’s constitutional values.
To save Jamia from this dirty politics, we must work together. Some practical steps are necessary. First, Jamia’s internal system must be strengthened to ensure no faculty member or administrator compromises with secular values for personal gain. Second, student organisations need to make their voices more organised and effective, not only to protect Jamia but also to become a national voice for secularism. Third, Jamia must strengthen its narrative on public forums like social media, academic conferences, and national dialogues to highlight its historical and intellectual significance. Teachers must rise above cunning behaviour and adopt an attitude of knowledge and research. There are many national issues on which Jamia’s professors can write, but they are reluctant to put in the effort. Finally, Jamia’s faculty must take a strong, open stand against any organisation or ideology that challenges its secular identity, be it the RSS or any other group.
Time for Introspection
As proud alumnus, I stand with Jamia in this painful hour because it is not just my past but also the future of the nation and India. It is essential to protect Jamia from the ugly actions of organisations like the RSS so that this institution can uphold its tradition of intellectual freedom and tolerance. We must collectively safeguard it so that it remains a beacon of secularism and unity for future generations. Jamia is not just a university; it is an ideology — a vision that keeps India’s spirit alive. Let us protect it so that it forever remains a symbol of India’s unity in diversity.
Those who are making holes in the boat of this nation should not forget that they are the passengers on the same boat. By pleasing their masters, they may gain temporary benefits, but ultimately, the realisation will dawn on them that they have greatly harmed themselves. These words may seem old-fashioned, but such elements should remember that one day they will leave this world and be accountable to the One and the Only Almighty for every action, or the lack of it. What they are doing is robbing the collective rights of the nation. Do they think that on that day, the nation will forgive them?
