In an unexpected turn of events, Jamia Milia Islamia on Monday evening decided to provide legal help to its two students arrested for alleged connection in Saturday’s serial blasts across the Capital.

Mohammad Shakeel, a second-year MA student, and Zia-Ur-Rehman (third year BA) were arrested on Sunday.

Jamia Vice-Chancellor Mushirul Hasan told Newsline in the evening that he would take steps to look into the “well being” of his students.

Jamia’s media coordinator Rakhshanda Jalil told Newsline, “The university has now decided to provide legal help to the two students caught on Sunday.” Since the two are students of Jamia, “the university feels it is a responsibility to safeguard them until they are proven guilty.”

The announcement came soon after the university had announced suspension of Shakeel and Rehman.

A large section of the faculty and students’ community in the university was earlier rumbling over the varsity authorities’ refusal to take a stand on the arrests. What made matters worse, several teachers and students said, was the fact that the university does not have a students’ union.

“Jamia does not have a students’ body that can fight for the students’ rights,” an agitated professor had told Newsline this morning. “After Friday’s encounter, no one can now speak openly about the students, or the incident at Jamia Nagar, since they feel they might be the next target of the police, in which case the university will not come forward to help them.

“Everyone is afraid of a crackdown.”

... contd.