Jamia Millia Islamia has ended an 18-day student protest after agreeing to approve and implement the university’s student union constitution by May 15, 2027, with elections to be held within six weeks of the start of the academic session, according to an order issued by the registrar’s office.
The deadlock ended late Thursday after Vice-Chancellor Professor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Professor Mohammad Mahtab Alam Rizvi met students who were on hunger strike. The university representatives informed them that the students’ main demands had been accepted, following several rounds of negotiations between student representatives and the administration.
Under the order, the Jamia Millia Islamia student union constitution will be approved and implemented by May 15, 2027. After the approval process, the university will issue an election notification in accordance with the recommendations and guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee. The order states that the elections will be conducted within six weeks of the beginning of the academic session, which could place the election period around July 16, 2027, subject to the applicable guidelines.
The administration has also agreed to withdraw show-cause notices, disciplinary action, expulsion and suspension orders, as well as campus-entry restrictions issued in connection with participation in the protest, the report said. Students ended the hunger strike and indefinite sit-in after receiving a copy of the registrar’s order.
The protest had focused on the restoration of the student union and the demand for a defined timeline for the process. According to the students, the university had not had a student union for around 20 years. The 18-day agitation included a hunger strike, during which the health of some participating students reportedly deteriorated, and increased tensions on the campus.
Student representatives involved in the talks included Mohiuddin, representing NSUI’s Aibin Basil, Farhan Israel, representing Rehan Khan, Lubab, Uttara, Neville Thomas, Sahad and Habiba, according to the report. The students said discussions continued for three days before the deadlock was resolved.
They also credited Kerala MP Harris Beeram with helping to facilitate the final discussions. The students said the MP discussed their demands with the vice-chancellor and later arrived with the registrar, who announced that the administration had accepted the main demands.
The university’s stated next steps are the approval and implementation of the student union constitution by May 15, 2027, followed by an election notification and the conduct of polls within the period prescribed under the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines.
