Students protesting at Jamia Millia Islamia remained divided on Monday over an agreement with the university administration to restore the students’ union. While some students agreed to end the agitation, others rejected the terms, saying the official notification failed to address their key demands. The protest is still ongoing, according to protesting students.
Under an order issued by Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi on October 26, elections to the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) will be held within 15 days of approval of the union’s constitution. The administration has also agreed to revoke suspensions and show-cause notices issued during the protest and establish a committee to investigate the conduct of security personnel.
However, protesting students Ebin Basil and Rehan Khan said the notification did not meet their demands. They want a confirmed date for the students’ union elections rather than a timeline linked to the approval of the constitution.
Their second demand is the withdrawal of all disciplinary actions against protesting students, not just suspensions and show-cause notices. According to the protesters, Ebin Basil has been reinstated, while Jasim has been banned from the campus. They argue that these actions must also be revoked as part of any settlement.
The students have also demanded the resignation of the university’s security adviser. They have rejected the condition requiring protesters to publicly apologise at a press conference for alleged defamatory remarks and social media posts targeting the administration, along with the removal of those posts. The protesting students maintain that no protester should be required to issue a public apology.
The registrar arrived on campus early Monday to share the order with protesters and urge them to end the agitation. While some reports said the protest had been called off following the agreement, a section of students rejected the terms and continued their protest.
Two students end hunger strike
Of the four students who had been on an indefinite hunger strike, two have ended their strike, according to information shared by the protesters on Monday afternoon. The protest itself, however, continues. A PhD scholar identified as Sanam had also been staging an indefinite sit-in at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawns.
The conflicting developments indicate that the administration’s order has not secured unanimous support among the protesters. Although the agreement addresses some of their demands, disagreements over the election date, disciplinary action and the proposed public apology remain unresolved.
Protest over union restoration
The agitation began on October 12, with students demanding the restoration of the elected students’ union, whose elections have not been held since 2006, and the withdrawal of disciplinary action against participants.
Students have argued that an elected union is necessary to represent their concerns and interests on campus. They have also sought accountability for the alleged conduct of security personnel during the agitation.
Tensions escalated on Saturday
The standoff intensified on Saturday, October 24, when more than 1,500 teaching and non-teaching staff members, accompanied by Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Rizvi, marched from the Ansari Auditorium lawns to Gate No. 7, where protesters had gathered.
The administration said staff members appealed to the students for more than two hours to vacate the protest site, but they refused. It alleged that some protesters pushed security personnel, teachers and other staff members during the interaction, prompting the staff to withdraw.
The university also shifted classes online amid the tensions.
The latest developments suggest that efforts to resolve the dispute remain incomplete. Protesters continue to demand a confirmed election date, the withdrawal of all disciplinary measures and the resignation of the security adviser, while rejecting any requirement for a public apology.
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