Students celebrate after their demands are accepted
NEW DELHI: After over two decades without an elected students’ union, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) is set to return to campus democracy, with the university committing to complete the union constitution by May 15, 2027, and hold elections by Aug 27, 2027. The last union election was held in 2005, reports Sugandha Jha. The breakthrough came late Thursday after registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi visited the protest site around 9pm and held talks with the agitating students, bringing the 18-day hunger strike to an end on the university’s 106th Foundation Day.
The registrar’s order, issued after the discussions, addressed the protesters’ central demand for a time-bound roadmap to restore elected student representation. It also directed the withdrawal of disciplinary action linked to the stir.
The elections shall be conducted within six weeks of the start of the academic session, i.e., approximately within six weeks from July 16, 2027. 7. Subsequent to the approval of the Constitution, the university shall release the notification for elections in accordance with the recommendations and guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee. This date will be in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Lyngdoh Committee regulations. The resolution came on a day when JMI’s customary Foundation Day celebrations were curtailed amid the agitation. Instead of the usual programme, the official observance was limited to flag hoisting and the university anthem, while protesting students organised an ‘Inquilabi Mela’ at Gulistan-e-Ghalib near Gate No. Hunger strikers Ebin Basil and Rehan Khan were designated ‘chief guests’ at the parallel event, which featured speeches and the release of a protest report and memorandum. The standoff subsequently saw clashes between students and security personnel, increased security deployment, restrictions on campus gatherings and a shift to online classes. Protesters also faced disciplinary proceedings, campus-ban orders and directions for some students to leave the campus. The university is now expected to resume physical classes soon.