Jamia Protest Ends in Victory; Union Polls Set for 2027
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New Delhi – After weeks of protests, hunger strikes and a tense standoff with the administration, students of Jamia Millia Islamia have scored a major victory, forcing the university to set a definite timeline for restoring its students’ union after nearly two decades.
The breakthrough came on Thursday when the university announced that the constitution of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) would be approved and implemented by May 15, 2027, with elections to follow within six weeks of the start of the next academic session, expected around July 16, 2027.
The order triggered celebrations among protesting students, who described the decision as a victory for their rights and the culmination of a prolonged struggle for an elected representative body.
The university also agreed to withdraw show-cause notices, disciplinary inquiries, rustication and suspension orders, as well as campus-entry restrictions imposed in connection with the agitation.
In a further sign of the standoff easing, classes and examinations are scheduled to return to the physical campus from November 8, after being shifted online amid the protest.
‘Truth Has Triumphed’: Hunger-Striking Students Celebrate
For students who had spent days on hunger strike, the announcement marked a turning point in their fight for democratic representation on campus.
VIDEO | Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia students celebrate after JMI administration agrees to hold student union elections.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 29, 2026
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) pic.twitter.com/NijOnTx85E
Ebin Basil, who had been on hunger strike for 18 days, called the development a historic victory.
“This is a great victory for the students; it will be written in golden letters in Jamia’s history,” he said.
Rehan Mewati, another student who had been on hunger strike for 15 days, echoed the sentiment.
“The truth has triumphed,” he told news agency ANI.
The celebrations came as the university marked its 106th Foundation Day. Jamia, originally founded in Aligarh during India’s freedom struggle, has not held students’ union elections since the JMISU was dissolved in 2006.
The university’s October 29 order directed the protesting students to call off their agitation and hunger strike with immediate effect.
The Deadline That Changed Everything
The key breakthrough was the administration’s decision to put dates on the process—a central demand of the protesters.
Under the new order, the students’ union constitution is to be approved and implemented by May 15, 2027. The university will subsequently notify the election schedule in accordance with the recommendations and guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee on student elections.
Polling is expected to take place around mid-August 2027, based on the stated timeline.
The absence of a firm schedule had been a major stumbling block in earlier attempts to resolve the dispute.
On October 26, the registrar’s office had issued an order stating that elections would be held 15 days after approval of the students’ union constitution. The protesting students rejected the arrangement, arguing that it left the process open-ended and offered no certainty about when the constitution would be approved.
The students had demanded that the constitution be drafted and approved by December 20, with elections held within 15 days thereafter.
The revised timeline does not meet that proposed schedule, but it establishes a specific deadline for implementing the constitution and a framework for conducting the elections.
Two Weeks of Protest Force Breakthrough
The agitation began on October 12, with students demanding the restoration of the union and a clear timetable for elections.
The protest escalated into a prolonged confrontation with the university administration, with hunger strikes becoming a key feature of the campaign.
The dispute centred on the absence of an elected students’ union for nearly 20 years and the administration’s failure to provide a firm timeline for restoring it.
The October 29 order followed a request submitted by students on the same day. Issued by Registrar Prof. M. M. Rizvi, it outlined the steps for implementing the union constitution, conducting elections and withdrawing disciplinary action linked to the protest.
The administration also directed that ongoing show-cause notices, disciplinary inquiries, rustications, suspensions and campus bans imposed in connection with participation in the agitation be revoked.
For the protesters, the decision addressed not only their central demand for an elected union but also the disciplinary consequences faced by students involved in the agitation.
Congress Hails Students’ ‘Victory’
The breakthrough also drew a political response, with the Congress describing the outcome as a triumph of student power.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal said in a post on X: “The students of Jamia Millia Islamia Central University have won!”
“In the end, the fascists had to bend before student power. Democracy was hard-fought but was won eventually!” he said.
Venugopal alleged that the BJP-controlled administration had attempted to divide and defame the protesting students. He also claimed that NSUI leaders had been sent to Tihar Jail for protesting.
“We salute the students for their non-violent struggle; this should serve as a bitter lesson for those who try to suppress the youth’s voice. Jai Hind!” he said.
The remarks reflected the political reactions to the outcome, while the university’s order itself focused on the timetable for elections and the withdrawal of disciplinary measures.
Why Jamia Had No Union Polls for 20 Years
The JMISU was dissolved in 2006, and the university has not held students’ union elections since.
The administration had cited a series of violent incidents as the reason for the dissolution, with the last incident described as an attack on the Vice-Chancellor.
From 2012, it also maintained that elections could not be held while a petition concerning the matter was pending before the Delhi High Court. Students disputed the administration’s reasoning.
The latest agitation renewed pressure on the university to move beyond these explanations and commit to a concrete restoration process.
The protest also followed a similar agitation at Aligarh Muslim University in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, where the administration agreed to restore students’ union elections after a 19-day hunger strike and scheduled polling for November 5.
Campus Returns to Normal, Election Battle Enters New Phase
Alongside the election roadmap, the decision to resume physical classes and examinations from November 8 offers a route back to normal academic activity after the disruption caused by the agitation.
But the larger test now lies in implementing the order within the announced deadlines.
The constitution must be approved and implemented by May 15, 2027, after which the university is to notify the election schedule under the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines. The polls are expected within six weeks of the start of the new academic session, anticipated around July 16.
For the students who sustained the agitation through hunger strikes and protests, Thursday’s announcement represents a significant breakthrough. For the administration, the next challenge will be to translate its commitment into an elected union.
After nearly two decades without student union polls, Jamia’s students have secured what they had fought hardest for: a deadline, an election roadmap and a commitment to withdraw disciplinary action linked to their protest.
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