The protest demanding restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union entered its 16th day on Tuesday, with students refusing to withdraw their agitation after Jamia Millia Islamia said elections would be held within 15 days of approving the union’s constitution.
The students have instead demanded a definite date for the polls and a fixed timeline for approving the constitution. Elections to the students’ union have not been held since 2006, making the dispute a prolonged conflict over representation and participation in campus governance.
The university issued an order on Monday stating that elections would take place within 15 days of the constitution receiving approval. It also revoked suspension orders and show-cause notices issued to students during the protest and announced a committee to examine the conduct of security staff during the agitation.
Students said the order did not meet their principal demands because it did not specify when the constitution would be approved or when the election process would begin. Rehan Khan, one of the students on an indefinite hunger strike, said the first demand was the revival of the union and declaration of polling dates.
The university also directed Khan to immediately vacate the protest site, warning that legal action could follow. Its order said the protesting students had agreed to issue a public apology at a press conference for defamatory statements, actions or social media posts against the administration. It further directed that such posts be removed and said the protest would end after the order was issued.
The standoff intensified on Monday when scuffles broke out between protesting students and paramilitary personnel after security was tightened on the campus. Police prevented students raising slogans against the administration from entering the university. Classes across courses had been shifted online amid the tensions.
Jamia said online classes would continue until November 8, after which the situation would be reviewed. The university had shifted classes to the online mode on October 24, citing concerns over student safety and security near the protest site.
At a press conference organised by the Jamia Collective at Syeda Manzil in Jamia Nagar on Monday, alumni, members of the university’s founding families, artists, lawyers and student representatives expressed support for the protesters. Representatives of NSUI, AISF, SFI, AIDSO, AISA and DISHA called for dialogue between the administration and students.
Participants, including academician Siddiquur Rahman Kidwai, educationist Syeda Hameed and JMI alumna Sameena Mishra, said students needed a representative platform to raise concerns, participate in university affairs and engage with campus governance. They urged the administration to hold transparent discussions and take concrete steps to resolve the impasse.
SFI representatives also questioned the role of the university’s security adviser, alleging that the post was being used to monitor students involved in protests. They raised concerns about the deployment of security personnel on campus. The university had earlier announced a committee to draft the JMISU constitution and said disciplinary action connected to the protest would be reviewed.
The immediate next steps are the constitution-drafting and approval process, the university’s review of campus conditions after November 8, and any further decision on the election schedule.
