New Delhi: Kavendra Singh Sagar, an IPS officer who serves as superintendent of police (SP) in Banswara, Rajasthan, looks back with gratitude on his days at the Jamia Millia Islamia UPSC coaching centre.
“Jamia’s UPSC coaching is the best bet for those who do not have the means to attend private coaching,” said Singh, a member of the centre’s 2014 batch. “They have the best kind of facilities, library, test papers, teachers. It all helped me crack the exam and become an IPS officer.”
Sagar is one of over 240 IAS, IPS and other central civil servants, and more than 260 officers in state services and other government jobs, who count the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia as their alma mater.
An important destination for the underprivileged in their journey into the civil services, the centre is currently in news as the subject of a controversial show that seeks to project it as the fountainhead of so-called “UPSC jihad”.
The show in question was aired on Sudarshan News, a Hindi channel, Friday night. It is the latest episode of a programme called Bindaas Bol, hosted by Sudarshan News Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke, who is no stranger to allegations of hate speech.
The “UPSC jihad episode” aims to expose what Chavhanke describes as a conspiracy to infiltrate Muslims into the civil services.
However, people associated with the coaching centre offer a completely different assessment of the institute.
The facility is one of five centres set up by the government between 2009 and 2010 to provide underprivileged communities with free residential coaching for the civil services and other government exams.
As IPS officer Sagar said, it is a place where underprivileged communities — not just Muslims, but also the Scheduled Tribes (STs), the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and women — find a fighting shot at a dream that is, by far, the most coveted accomplishment for most Indians.
The initiative is meant to encourage more students from these communities to ace government exams. And student experiences suggest it is helping them do exactly that.
Also Read: Not just stay, need action against Sudarshan News for ‘UPSC jihad’ show, say ex-civil servants
‘Doing a good job’
Bhanu Prabha, who is posted as district magistrate at Tirap in Arunachal Pradesh, studied at the coaching centre between 2012 and 2014. Her training at the centre, she says, helped her crack the civil services interviews.
“The coaching helped me to prepare for the interview stage, because the academy arranged a mock interview with a senior officers’ panel,” said Prabha. They focused primarily on answer-writing and essay-writing. This is very important for scoring a high rank.”
Mohammad Tarique, deputy director at the centre, said, “Ever since the inception of the coaching centre in 2010, we have had more than 240 students selected and placed as IAS, IPS, IRS and customs officers. More than 260 students have been placed as officers in the state services, and central armed police forces, like the BSF, ITBP and others.”
Former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Ved Prakash, under whom the five coaching centres were established, said the initiative was aimed at increasing the representation of people from backward castes and minorities in civil services.
“It was felt that minorities and people from the SC, ST communities are not fairly represented in civil services, hence the coaching centres were started in five universities,” Prakash said.
Apart from Jamia Millia Islamia, the coaching centres were set up at Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi, Aligarh Muslim University, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, and Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Delhi. The initial grant for setting up the centres was given by the UGC, and the central government now issues funds annually for their operations.
According to Prakash, most of the universities, “especially Jamia Hamdard and Jamia Millia”, are doing a very good job, and “producing a good number of civil servants each year”.
Also Read: Muslims holding Quran and computer can crack UPSC. But for some, they are still jihadis
‘Equal representation’
Tarique, who has been associated with the coaching centre since its inception, dismissed the allegation that one religion dominates the student rolls.
“We have an equal representation from all religions in the coaching centre, there are students who are Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and we even have some Buddhist students. Women and SC/ST candidates are also represented fairly,” he added.
Tarique said students are admitted on the basis of an entrance test and interview. “The test carries 85 per cent weightage and interview carries 15 per cent weightage, so whoever performs well in the test will be admitted. There is no chance that the system could be biased towards a particular community,” he said.
The “UPSC jihad” aka “bureaucracy jihad” episode of Chavhanke’s show was announced through a trailer that has been widely panned for its provocative language. Civil servants had subsequently criticised the show, terming it hate speech, and demanded action against Chavhanke.
Following a plea from Jamia students and alumni, the Delhi High Court had ordered a stay on the show’s telecast on 28 August. However, when Sudarshan News challenged the stay, the court left the final call to the central government, which gave its go-ahead Wednesday, citing rules that don’t allow pre-censorship of TV programming.
The Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry just advised the channel to make sure it doesn’t violate the code that oversees television and advertising content — among the provisions of the code is one that bars programmes containing attacks on religions or communities, visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups, or which promote communal attitudes.
There has been no comment so far from the Jamia administration on the I&B Ministry’s go-ahead for the programme. ThePrint has sought a comment from the official spokesperson through text and phone, but was yet to receive a response by the time of publishing.
Asked about the Sudarshan News controversy, Tarique said he hoped the authorities “look into what’s going on and fulfil their duty”.
Meanwhile, the controversy has done little to harm the image of the coaching centre as a beacon of hope.
Manisha Minz, who is enrolled at a private coaching centre in Delhi, said she will apply to the centre. “I had no idea about the coaching centre until this year. I will apply to the centre… I am eligible as I belong to the ST category, it would save me a lot of money as well.”
Also Read: Sudarshan News ‘bureaucracy jihad’ report is hate speech, say civil servants, demand action
If anyone want to known more about JMI then please go and see. You must find that every community has a equal opportunity and it is a central university run by Government of India with all rule as per constitution of India.
So now we can’t even post our opinion on public platforms.
Silence every voice that speaks against the discrimination against upper caste Hindus.
In brief muslims, Christians, Sc, St all can avail the facilities EXCEPT upper caste Hindus.
Why are only Upper caste Hindus are discriminated against at every step of the way?
Muslims, Christians, Sc, St basically everyone EXCEPT upper caste hindu men can avail the facilities.
Exactly how it happens in every other domain of our Indian lives.
1) pay double the fee for every thing from university fees to exam fee to competitive exams.
2) no extra scholarships despite scoring higher than the rest
3) get less number of attempts at every exam from Medical to Engineering to Mba to Government services.
Good , very good initiative by the Goverment then, without shouting sab ka vikas…
However Interesting to note that these were all set up in the Hindi speaking belt except for Hyderabad….
What our Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu.
And Southern Maharashtra..
So far opportunities for original People of has been negligible, even though Goans have proved their worth in Government assignments.
Please don’t bring the language factor here. As a hindi speaking Upper caste Hindu I can’t get admission there.
Kindly check the list of ALL the ex students of these five centres who have availed the facilities of these centres exclusively set up in MUSLIM Universities.
I can assure you majority students are only muslims.
Hate Creates hate. Sudarshan channel is famous for fake and false News so every wise person knows the objective of such kind spreading fake news. It’s fact that Indian Muslims where left behind in every filed of Education, service, administration and more according to Mishra commission and other reports. So these things led to start a RCA for unprivileged communities like Muslims, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, SCs and STs to raise their hope and make theirself possible to be a beacon of light for their respective communites. I have a B. Ed classmate named Nikita Sharma qualified for Deputy Collector in UP so Is she also UPPCS JIHAD’s permanent member? Hahahahah
Thanks
Meekail Tabish Qasmi
Jamia Millia Islamia
Hate Creates hate. Sudarshan channel is famous for fake and false News so every wise person knows the objective of such kind spreading fake news. It’s fact that Indian Muslims where left behind in every filed of Education, service, administration and more according to Mishra commission and other reports. So these things led to start a RCA for unprivileged communities like Muslims, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, SCs and STs to raise their hope and make theirself possible to be a beacon of light for their respective communites. I have a B. Ed classmate name Nikita Sharma qualified for Deputy Collector in UP so Is she also UPPCS JIHAD’s permanent member?
Thanks
Meekail Tabish Qasmi
Jamia Millia Islamia
” Jamia millia islamia ” what Jamia milli has to to in India , and sorry suresh chauhan of Sudarshan news saying right , Jamia millia have a mask on his face it must bu scrutinized . As far as Mr chauvhan is saying most of minority students are clearing exams on urdu and Islamic thoughts ! Isn’t ? It means –
1) urdu /Islamic thoughts / question papers will be prepared by Muslims .
2) these questions are being answered by Muslims .
3) these answer sheets will be checked by Muslims
4 ) and interview pannel will be of same community ?
What is this ??
Dear Mr. Reddy,
There are number of such coaching centers in the country. Here, minority run institutes are mentioned that these are only that limited. There are thousands of schools run by an unregistered association with a toxic mentality. And if one is run by minority, it will be in the limelight.
We want minority cornered and crushed. We’re biased by genes and mind!
Please mention which coaching centres are free coaching and residency for UPSC, Other government exam to poor general category Hindus.
“not just Muslims, but also the Scheduled Tribes (STs), the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and women” : WHo is left? Upper caste Hindu males?
YOu think we are fools and not observing what is going on?
Exactly, to basically every one except Upper caste tax paying Hindus.
Every step of our lives upper caste Hindus are discriminated against.
Nothing to proclaim a backward cast to be coached up. No ! It is wrong on Jamia. They do better job to promot all kind of pupils they got well trained to make nations pride. And have less resistance from the BJP Govt.
Before the allegation/ scam/ or concern unfolds itself, media come out with justification. That leads to strong doubt establishing the possibility of what is under shadow. Here also the same thing happens. People are intelligent, and know what to take and what not to. Often sponsored media fail to understand this psychology.
Ms. Kritika Sharma is too clever by half. All the ex-students of the institute who have been quoted in this article do not belong to the religion which is usually associated with the four universities mentioned herein. The rolls are indeed dominated by a single religion as it is the dominant religion in these universities. There is absolutely no doubt on this.
However, by quoting officers who do not belong to that religion, a lame attempt has been made to peddle anecdotal evidence as the truth.
The skeletons would have tumbled out if Ms. Sharma had requested Mr. Mohammad Tarique to provide a list of all students who have availed of the free coaching facilities at the centre since its inception. A simple statistical/data analysis of the list would have made things crystal clear. This precisely is the reason why Ms. Sharma deliberately chose to not take this route.
Whether these officers are INDIAN or foreigners. Please be INDIAN think INDIAN.
Why are Upper caste Hindus discriminated against at every step?
They provide coaching to muslims/Christians/sc/sT/women, probably one or two sikhs, Buddhists but NOT upper caste Hindus.
1) Upper caste Hindus pay almost double avail any facility
2) Pay double the amount for every Curriculum, exam fee, tests
3) don’t get extra scholarships despite scoring more than the rest
4) get less attempts to write every exam that exists in our country.
Not to mention every other “domain of life” we are discriminated against.
Hate begets hate. Holy book and peaceful religion seek extinction of mushrik and kafir.
You spread hatred against brahmin and upper caste. What you sow so shall you reap.
Agnivesh who died yesterday is your hero who spread hate against hindus and their constitutional right of freedom of religion and belief. He said all big temples amarnath,sabrimala, pashupatinath of nepal, mahabharat, ramayana are fake, hypocrisy and blind faith. So you mean to say hindus should not follow their faith. Should
hindus borrow the faith from non hindus?
If hindus are not to be allowed to follow their dharm then what is purpose of freedom of religious beliefs in the Constituion . Does only non hindus religion are entitled to freedom. Should hindus borrow religious beliefs from non hindu religions. This type of hatred is unacceptable. It is not rationality but hatred. Does your so-called rationality is only for hindus not for others. This hatred is the cause hindu unity which you term as hatred. Get well soon.
If this coaching center aim is to help uplift all marginalized communities, then why all 5 centers are placed in Muslim universities!!