Jamia Protest Ends After Students Reach Agreement With University Officials

Students of Jamia Millia Islamia have called off their nearly two-week-long protest after reaching an agreement with the university administration over the restoration of the students’ union, the withdrawal of disciplinary action and an investigation into the conduct of security personnel during the agitation. The agreement marks a significant development in the dispute, which intensified in recent days as students demanded elected representation on campus. According to an order issued by the university registrar on October 26, the protest will be discontinued with immediate effect. The administration has also agreed to conduct student union elections within 15 days of the approval of the union constitution, although the process of drafting and approving the document remains a key step before the polls can take place.

The agitation centred on demands for the revival of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU), which was dissolved in 2006. Students had argued that the absence of an elected representative body for nearly two decades had deprived them of a formal platform to raise academic, administrative and campus-related concerns. Their demands also included the withdrawal of suspensions and show-cause notices issued during the protest, along with action on complaints concerning security personnel. The demonstration began nearly two weeks before the agreement and gathered momentum as students continued their sit-in and hunger strike. According to the Students’ Federation of India, four students had been on an indefinite hunger strike, while a PhD scholar identified as Sanam was holding an indefinite sit-in at the university’s Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawns.

Under the terms of the agreement, the university administration has agreed to revoke the suspension orders and show-cause notices issued against students during the agitation. The decision addresses one of the principal grievances raised by protesters, who had sought relief from disciplinary measures initiated during the demonstration. The administration has also agreed to constitute a committee to investigate the actions of security personnel during the protest. The inquiry is expected to examine complaints concerning interactions between security staff and students as tensions escalated on campus. The decision to establish a committee provides a formal mechanism for reviewing the conduct of security personnel, although the outcome of the inquiry and any subsequent action will depend on its findings.

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Another condition included in the agreement concerns remarks and social media posts directed at the university administration during the agitation. According to the registrar’s order, the protesting students will publicly apologise at a press conference for the alleged offensive remarks and posts. The agreement also requires the students to address the content published on social media in accordance with the administration’s directions. The provision forms part of the understanding reached between the two sides to bring the confrontation to an end. While the students’ central demand concerned the restoration of the elected union, the agreement also addresses the administration’s objections to statements made during the protest. The conditions therefore cover both the students’ demands for disciplinary relief and the university’s concerns over the conduct of the agitation.

The decision followed several attempts by university officials to persuade the protesters to end their demonstration. On Saturday, more than 1,500 teaching and non-teaching staff members, accompanied by Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi, marched from the Ansari Auditorium lawns towards Gate No. 7, where the protesters had gathered. The administration said staff members appealed to the students for more than two hours to vacate the protest site, but the protesters did not agree to leave. The university also alleged that some students pushed security personnel, teachers and staff members during the interaction. The staff members subsequently withdrew from the site. The confrontation added to tensions that had already affected campus operations, with the university shifting classes online and announcing the closure of two libraries from October 24 amid concerns over safety and security.

The agreement now places the restoration of the students’ union at the centre of the next phase of the process. The university must first approve the union constitution, after which elections are to be conducted within 15 days, according to the registrar’s order. The timeline means that the election process depends on the completion of the constitutional framework rather than an immediately announced polling date. The dispute had continued partly because students wanted greater clarity on when elections would be held, while the administration maintained that a constitution and an established electoral mechanism were necessary before polls could be organised. With the latest agreement, the administration has committed to a timetable linked to constitutional approval, withdrawn disciplinary notices and suspensions, and promised an inquiry into security personnel’s actions. These steps are intended to resolve the immediate confrontation, while the approval of the constitution and the eventual conduct of elections remain essential to restoring elected student representation at Jamia Millia Islamia.

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