Usually during Diwali, Jamia Millia Islamia — a Central Government university — is decked up and the tradition has been going on for years. However, this Diwali many found the university campus engulfed in darkness.
Interestingly, Jamia was decked up a day after, said sources. On condition of anonymity, several students told The Pioneer, “The university was not decked up this Diwali. But a day after they were putting up lights everywhere in the evening.”
After a video — in possession of The Pioneer — surfaced on the social media showing Jamia in the dark on Diwali night, the very next day on Friday the university’s public relation representative shared a few photos on the social media with this message, ‘Diwali at Jamia; Jamia decorated like a bride’.”
The post got one sarcastic comment with user Osama Zakaria writing, “When were these photos takenIJ Such lighting was not seen in Jamia on Thursday [Diwali].”
Several efforts made by the daily to contact Jamia’s media in-charge Professor Saima Saeed, including an SMS message, failed as she didn’t pick up the phone nor replied to the message.
An IIMC alumnus, who is behind Main Media (I am media), which did a one minute video report on its FB page of dark Diwali in Jamia, told The Pioneer, “It was on Diwali when I was passing from the campus and was surprised to see no lights. For years on Diwali, Jamia has been decked up. I grabbed a video and put it on the social media. And a day after Diwali while passing from the campus, I saw that some people were decorating the campus.
“later on I was stumped to see a few photos posted on FB by a senior university official with this message, ‘Diwali at Jamia; Jamia decorated like bride’. It appears that the senior university official is trying to mislead people,” said Tanzil Asif, the founder of Main Media, a start-up initiative.
Jamia's Foundation Day celebration is also a few days ago and some students on the campus feel that the decoration is part of the preparation.