Jamia Millia Islamia has announced that student union elections will be held within 15 days of the approval of a draft constitution, but students continuing a two-week protest said the administration had not fixed a deadline for approving the draft. The disagreement was accompanied by clashes between protesters and police on the university campus on Monday.
The administration issued an official order after taking up a written three-point list of demands submitted by protesting students. Under the order, elections will be conducted within 15 days of the student union constitution being approved. The administration also said the draft constitution would be prepared by 20 December.
Students on hunger strike, however, have rejected the timeline as incomplete. Student leader Mohammad Rehan, who has been on hunger strike since 12 October, said the administration had not specified when the draft would be finalised or approved. Students have argued that preparing the draft does not guarantee its acceptance, leaving the election process dependent on an open-ended administrative decision.
The announcement came amid heightened tension inside the campus. Students attempting to take out a march clashed several times with police, according to the report. After protesters allegedly damaged the library gate and boundary grille, police detained around half a dozen people identified as suspects. The supplied report does not specify whether formal charges were filed or whether those detained were later released.
Alongside the election announcement, the administration said it had withdrawn the suspensions and show-cause notices issued to students. It also formed a committee to investigate allegations of misconduct by security personnel. These decisions respond to two of the immediate concerns raised during the protest, while the dispute over the constitution’s approval timeline remains unresolved.
The administration has also asked students to publicly apologise for allegedly insulting statements and social media posts made during the movement. The condition has added another point of disagreement between the university and protesters, who are seeking a defined process for restoring an elected student body.
Former students and student representatives have backed the demand for the union’s revival. At a press conference organised by the Jamia Collective, former students expressed concern that the university has not had an elected student union for nearly two decades. Representatives of the Students’ Federation of India also questioned the role of the university’s security adviser.
The dispute therefore remains focused on the sequence and authority of the election process: whether the constitution will be drafted, approved and put into effect within a defined schedule. The administration’s stated next step is to prepare the draft by 20 December, after which the 15-day period for conducting elections would begin only once the constitution is approved.
