After 18 days of sustained protests and an indefinite hunger strike, students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) have called off their agitation after the university administration agreed to a time-bound process for restoring the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU). The breakthrough came on October 29, when the university issued a formal order committing to approve and implement the students’ union constitution by May 15, 2027, and conduct elections within six weeks of the commencement of the next academic session.
Students celebrate at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) as the university agrees to finalise and approve the students’ union constitution by May 15, 2027, with elections to be held within six weeks of the next academic session’s commencement. A victory for sustained student resistance! ✊
— Vijay Thottathil (@vijaythottathil) October 29, 2026
Jamia Millia Islamia administration set a timeline for restoring its students’ union, after the protesters refused to end their hunger strike without the university putting a date to its assurance over holding elections. https://t.co/dQghSXyCn1
— Peek TV (@PeekTV_in) October 29, 2026
Jamia Millia Islamia erupts in celebration as the administration agrees to all the students’ demands.
@tarunzero reports for @thewire_in https://t.co/PZK9aiATjZ
— The Wire (@thewire_in) October 29, 2026
| VICTORY MARCH AT JAMIA|
A Victory March will be held today at 4:00PM at Gulistan-e-Ghalib Lawn, Gate No. 7, Jamia Millia Islamia, to celebrate the historic restoration of the Jamia Students’ Union after nearly 20 years.
Students will come together to mark this landmark achievement, celebrate their collective struggle and reaffirm the spirit of student unity, democratic rights and campus democracy.
Location: JMISU Union Office, Gulistan-e-Ghalib Gate 7, Jamia Millia Islamia
#Jamia #JamiaMilliaIslamia
@RahulGandhi @kaushikrj6
@vidyarthee @Pawankhera
@RanaAyyub @zoo_bear @aishe_ghosh
@Saurabh_Unmute @ajitanjum @sushant_says @neha_aisa @mehartweets @waglenikhil— Nasir Khuehami (ناصر کہویہامی) (@NasirKhuehami) October 30, 2026
Peaceful resistance paces its way to another historic victory at Jamia Milia Islamic University last night.
Students celebrate at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) as the university agrees to finalise and approve the students’ union constitution by May 15, 2027, with elections to be held within six weeks of the next academic session’s commencement.
#JamiaMilliaIslamia
#StudentsProtest
#StudentsProtests— Pragnya Gupta (@GuptaPragnya) October 30, 2026
The agreement marks a significant development in a struggle for democratic representation that has continued for years at the university, where the students’ union has remained dissolved since March 2006. The administration has also agreed to withdraw all disciplinary action initiated against students in connection with the agitation, including show-cause notices, disciplinary proceedings, rustication and suspension orders, as well as campus bans.
“We had received 3 demands from students…We have accepted all 3 of their demands”: Registrar of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Mahtab Alam Rizvi https://t.co/rkAU3XqHRi
— The Wire (@thewire_in) October 29, 2026
According to the university’s October 29 order, once the constitution is approved, the election notification will be issued in accordance with the recommendations and guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee. The elections are expected to take place within six weeks of the next academic session, scheduled to commence around July 16, 2027.
The administration’s commitment to a specific deadline addresses one of the central objections raised by the protesting students. Earlier, students had rejected a communication from the university that promised elections after the constitution was approved but failed to establish a concrete timeline for completing the approval process. Without a deadline, students argued, the promise of restoring the union risked becoming another indefinite assurance.
The latest agreement emerged following negotiations between a four-member student delegation and university authorities. Registrar Professor Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi confirmed to ANI that the administration had accepted all three major demands raised by the students.
According to Deccan Herald, the administration has also outlined the proposed process for drafting and approving the constitution. Student representatives, alongside professors and legal experts, will participate in the exercise, with representation from different faculties. The draft constitution will be circulated among stakeholders for suggestions before undergoing legal scrutiny. It will subsequently be placed before the Academic Council and Executive Council before being forwarded to the Visitor’s nominee for final approval. This process will be crucial in determining whether the promised restoration translates into a genuinely representative and democratically functioning students’ union.
The Lyngdoh Committee recommendations and the road to elections
The university’s decision to conduct elections under the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations is particularly significant given the prolonged absence of elected student representation at Jamia. The Lyngdoh Committee was constituted following a Supreme Court directive on December 12, 2005, to examine concerns surrounding campus elections, including the growing influence of money and muscle power, political interference and violence in student politics. As reported by The Hindu, the committee was tasked with recommending a framework to ensure free, fair and transparent student elections.
Among its principal recommendations was that universities and colleges should ordinarily have elected student representatives, with nominations permitted only as a temporary arrangement where circumstances made elections impracticable. Institutions relying on nominated representatives were expected to establish an election-based system within five years. The committee also recommended that student elections be held annually, preferably within six to eight weeks of the commencement of the academic session. The entire electoral process, including nominations, campaigning and the declaration of results, was to be completed within 10 days.
The recommendations permit direct, indirect and hybrid election systems, depending on the size and structure of the institution. Direct elections were favoured for smaller, single-campus universities, while indirect elections were suggested for larger universities with multiple campuses.
For Jamia, the commitment to follow these recommendations is an important step towards restoring an institutional mechanism through which students can participate in university affairs and hold the administration accountable.
Nearly two decades without student representation
The JMISU was dissolved in March 2006, following repeated incidents of violence, clashes between student groups, attacks on teachers and disruptions to academic activities. The university administration had also raised concerns about student representatives allegedly interfering in administrative matters.
However, the dissolution of the union effectively left generations of students without an elected representative body. The absence of an institutional platform for collective student representation became the backdrop to the current agitation, with students demanding not merely an assurance of elections but a definite commitment to restoring democratic participation on campus.
The latest protest began on October 12 and gradually escalated into an indefinite hunger strike. Despite the university announcing that elections would be held within 15 days of the constitution’s approval, students continued their agitation, pointing out that the administration had not specified when the constitution itself would be approved.
The standoff also unfolded amid increasingly restrictive measures on campus. The university shifted academic activities to the online mode, citing security concerns and disruptions arising from the protests. The decision to move classes online, while subsequent announcements extended the online arrangement and shifted examinations away from the physical mode.
Detailed pieces may be read here, here and here.
Congress hails students’ victory
Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal described the outcome as a victory for student power. In a post on X, he said, “The students of Jamia Millia Islamia Central University have won!” Venugopal alleged that the BJP-controlled administration had attempted to divide and discredit the protesting students, and claimed that NSUI leaders had been sent to Tihar Jail for participating in the agitation. “In the end, the fascists had to bend before student power. Democracy was hard-fought but was won eventually!” he wrote, saluting the students for their non-violent struggle.
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!
The BJP-controlled Administration tried every method to divide and defame the students. They even went to the extent of sending out NSUI leaders to Tihar jail for protesting for this cause.
We salute the students for their non violent struggle, and this should serve as a bitter lesson for those who try to suppress the youth’s voice.
Jai Hind!
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) October 29, 2026
The agreement came on the occasion of Jamia’s 106th Foundation Day, lending particular significance to a development centred on the restoration of democratic participation within the university. While the students have called off their agitation, the agreement is only the beginning of a longer process.
The tree of revolution will blossom with the sweat and tears, courage and commitment of every new generation!
Congratulations to the students of Jamia who fought day and night to keep democracy alive! https://t.co/zG740eJsi8
— AISA (@aisa_official_) October 29, 2026
It is the season of victories!
JMI has shown us the way…What a fight! What a great and long awaited victory! https://t.co/9usZs6vhot
— Neha (@neha_aisa) October 29, 2026
Huge win for student power.
Congratulations Jamia for forcing the administration to bring back student union elections after almost two decades!
But the battle isn’t over. Let’s not forget our NSUI boys, Faizan and Zeeshan, are still in judicial custody at Tihar just for demanding these exact democratic rights.
Celebrate the victory, but keep the pressure on until they’re free.No celebration is complete while student activists remain behind bars!!
— Gurmehar Kaur (@mehartweets) October 30, 2026
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