Jamia Millia Islamia’s administration has responded to a student movement demanding democratic representation by extending the suspension of physical academic activities, shifting examinations online and preparing to close hostels, intensifying a confrontation that has continued since October 12. As students remain on hunger strike over the restoration of the university’s elected students’ union, the administration’s latest measures have placed the burden of the standoff on the very students whose demand for representation remains unresolved.
On Wednesday, October 28, the university announced that online teaching for the current semester would continue until November 24, with practical examinations, fieldwork and project vivas scheduled online from November 25 to 30, followed by online theory examinations from December 1 to 24. Winter vacation will run from December 25 to January 12, with physical classes for the even semester scheduled to resume on January 13, 2027.
Jamia Millia Islamia has extended online semester classes and examinations until January 2027 amid continuing student protests, according to the reported development. The decision has sparked fresh backlash, with students raising concerns over prolonged online learning and the disruption of campus life. The university’s move comes as demands for the restoration of the Students’ Union continue.
The revised schedule keeps students away from physical classrooms until at least mid-January, with even-semester classes scheduled to begin on January 13, 2027. Students are demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union and a fixed election timeline. The administration cites campus safety concerns.— Millat Times English (@Millat_English) October 29, 2026
The announcement came as girls residing in Jamia’s BHM hostel marched inside Gate No. 8 on the night of October 28. The hostel provost reportedly warned them of disciplinary action if they did not end the march. Hostel residents were also asked to vacate all hostels by November 1, with the administration citing the shift to online classes.
Female students from the J&K Hostel at Jamia Millia Islamia staged a midnight protest demanding the restoration of the students’ union and expressing solidarity with the ongoing student movement.
#JamiaMilliaIslamia #StudentProtest #NSUI #GulistanNews https://t.co/5qebzZkCcd
— Gulistan News (@GulistanNewsTV) October 29, 2026
The order means students will remain away from physical classrooms for the rest of the current semester and throughout the examination period, with no scheduled return to campus before January. The university has justified the decision on security grounds, but the timing and scale of the restrictions raise serious questions about whether the administration is responding to the concerns of its students or attempting to contain a protest it has been unable to resolve through a credible, time-bound commitment to elections.
Delhi: The protest demanding student union elections at Jamia Millia Islamia University continues for the 18th consecutive day. A large number of paramilitary personnel and Police personnel have been deployed outside the university. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) remains in force
— IANS (@ians_india) October 29, 2026
Students at Jamia Millia Islamia have been on hunger strike for the past 16 days, demanding the restoration of student union elections.
While the administration has agreed to the students’ demands, uncertainty remains over when the elections will be held.
The protest continues, with a heavy security presence on campus. Tear gas vehicles and buses to detain protesters have also been stationed at the university.
@jaisl_khushi reports.
— newslaundry (@newslaundry) October 28, 2026
Jamia students’ protest enters day 16 as hunger strike continues over the restoration of the students’ union, defunct since 2006. Students demand a clear election timeline and withdrawal of disciplinary action. Talks with the administration remain deadlocked, while online classes and exams are extended until November 8.
— Peek TV (@PeekTV_in) October 28, 2026
#Jamia : Dean Iqtidar ले रहे थे ऑनलाइन क्लास
स्टूडेंट्स ने अपने DP लगाया ”Respect My Existence or Expect my resistance”
ये वही प्रोफेसर हैं जो प्रोटेस्ट के शुरुआती दिनों में बच्चों से नेगोसिएशन करने जा रहे थे। बाद में उन्हीं बच्चों के टेंट को उखाड़ने चले गए। फ़िलहाल ये अपने ही क्लास के बच्चों का बग़ावत झेल रहें हैं।
#jamiamilliaislamia #JamiaProtest— Md Naiyar Azam (@theNaiyarAzam) October 28, 2026
In its order, the university said a meeting of deans, heads of departments, directors and other officials had concluded that the campus situation was “not conducive for academic environment”. It said the decision had been taken to ensure the safety and security of students.
A Jamia student asks: Why are there more security personnel than protesters? Why bring in outside forces when the university has its own security team? This issue can be resolved in a single meeting. If JNU and DU can have student unions, why can’t JMI? What’s the big deal? We are being targeted because of our religious identity. This concern for education is nothing but an excuse. If they really cared about education, they would increase the education budget instead of sending security forces into our university.
— pranav pradhi (@pranavpradhi1) October 29, 2026
For 18 days, students at Jamia Millia Islamia have been on hunger strike demanding their democratic right to an elected students’ union. Delhi Police has detained student protesters, including @nsui_jamia comrades, while Section 163 restrictions have curtailed their right to assemble. Now classes and examinations have been pushed online, affecting the entire student community.
Jamia Millia Islamia was born out of the Non-Cooperation Movement and India’s struggle against British colonial rule. Yet students demanding democratic representation at this historic institution face restrictions and repression. The BJP’s attempts to discredit their protest by invoking “Islamist” sloganeering are aimed at diverting attention from their legitimate demands.
The BJP government’s response to student dissent is repression. It seeks to silence student voices and suppress legitimate demands through restrictions.
The Jamia Millia Islamia administration must respect students’ democratic rights and restore their elected students’ union. We stand in solidarity with the students in their fight for democratic representation.
@nsui @nsui_jamia
#JamiaMilliaIslamia #StudentsRights #SaveDemocracy #RightToProtest #StudentUnion
— Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, M P (@NasirHussainINC) October 29, 2026
Yet the administration has offered no electoral timeline that resolves the principal objection raised by the protesters. Instead, physical academic life has been suspended, access to campus facilities has been restricted, hostel residents face eviction and police action against protesters has continued. Students have argued that these measures punish the wider university community for a dispute that the administration could address by committing to a transparent and enforceable election schedule.
Twenty years without a union, and still no firm election date
At the centre of the agitation is a demand that should not require weeks of hunger strikes and escalating confrontation to secure: the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMI-SU), which has remained defunct since 2006. The last elected union was dissolved amid allegations of campus violence and disruption. Two decades later, students continue to be denied a university-wide elected body through which they can represent their interests, raise grievances collectively and hold the administration accountable.
The current agitation began on October 12, when students launched an indefinite hunger strike demanding the revival of the union. The movement grew as students from different departments joined sit-in demonstrations around the Mirza Ghalib statue lawns. Five students were still on hunger strike on Wednesday, according to reports, despite the physical strain of prolonged fasting and the growing restrictions around the protest.
Students have repeatedly said that they exhausted conventional channels, including memorandums and representations to the university, before resorting to a hunger strike. Their grievances extend beyond the election schedule to include alleged administrative retaliation against students who protest, the withdrawal of disciplinary penalties and accountability for the conduct of campus security personnel.
In an account of the agitation, Indian Express reported, one hunger-striking student described the absence of an elected union as a structural problem that leaves students without an effective mechanism to challenge decisions affecting their education and campus life. The student cited previous protests over alleged irregularities in sports admissions and complaints about food quality at the Jammu and Kashmir hostel, claiming that students who raised concerns had faced campus bans or eviction.
Delhi Police detained Jamia Millia Islamia students amid the ongoing protest demanding the restoration of the Students’ Union. The protest is taking place near Gate No. 7, where students have been demanding their right to student representation on campus. https://t.co/MWkGxL8sD5
— FOEJ Media (@FoejMedia) October 28, 2026
The account points to a broader concern: when the administration controls the channels through which grievances are heard, while students lack an elected body to represent them, dissent can become an individual act of risk rather than an institutional process of accountability.
Protesting students at #Jamia released an itinerary for the university’s 106th Foundation Day on October 29, featuring flag hoisting and speeches by hunger strikers as chief guests.
The programme is expected to conclude with an announcement of a mass hunger strike https://t.co/49IWS9cmAY
— Vishu Adhana (@vishu_reports) October 29, 2026
An election assurance tied to an approval process with no deadline
The administration announced on October 26 that student union elections would be held 15 days after the union constitution was approved. It also stated that suspension and show-cause notices issued during the agitation would be revoked and that a committee would investigate the conduct of security personnel during the protest. The announcement was presented as a step towards resolving the impasse. Students, however, rejected it as inadequate because the university did not specify when the constitution would be completed and approved.
An assurance that elections will take place 15 days after approval is not a definite election schedule when the date of approval itself remains uncertain. Without a binding deadline for the constitutional process, the administration retains control over when the condition for holding elections will be met.
Students have warned that this arrangement leaves room for further delay, allowing the university to claim that it has agreed to elections while postponing the process needed to make them possible. They have demanded that the constitution be drafted and approved within a short, fixed period and that the election dates be formally notified within 15 days of approval.
Students have also questioned why the administration needs an extended period to prepare a constitution when the university previously had an elected union. They have suggested that the existing constitutional framework could be reviewed and amended rather than used as a reason for prolonged uncertainty.
The administration’s announcement also failed to address the full range of disciplinary penalties imposed during the protest. While it referred to the withdrawal of suspension and show-cause notices, students pointed out that this did not explicitly cover rustication and campus bans. Ebin Basil was rusticated for one academic year, while Jasim Ali Khan was barred from entering the campus for six months, according to reports.
The detailed piece may be read here and here.
From campus restrictions to an extended academic shutdown
The latest order follows a series of measures that have progressively disrupted ordinary university life since the agitation began. On October 17, students alleged that university security personnel, accompanied by police, moved against protesters in the early morning, dragging and assaulting students and dismantling parts of the protest site. Videos circulated on social media showed confrontations and students being pulled away. Ebin Basil also alleged that he had been assaulted.
The administration has disputed aspects of the protesters’ account and accused students of obstructing university activities. On October 18, it condemned slogans painted on campus walls, including “Restore JMISU”, “Reclaim Jamia”, “Free Palestine”, “Free Sharjeel Imam” and “RSS Se Azaadi”, describing them as detrimental to national integrity, security and sovereignty. It also directed that the walls be repainted and called on protesters to vacate the demonstration site.
The university subsequently shifted classes online, citing disruption and security concerns. On October 24, it further restricted physical academic activity, closed gates and limited access to facilities, including the Central Library and canteen services. Students alleged that electricity and water supplies around the protest area were also cut off.
According to accounts published by Alt News and The Wire, protesters said their sit-in site had been dismantled, students had been manhandled and access to basic amenities had been restricted. Some students alleged that they were left with inadequate access to washrooms during the protest.
“We are not criminals or terrorists. We just want a date for student union elections.”
Speaking to our reporter @jaisl_khushi, Jamia student Hrithik alleges that the administration is trying to intimidate students with the threat of UAPA, NSA and police action.
With classes shifted online and a heavy security presence on campus, he says access to basic facilities, food and water has also been disrupted.
— newslaundry (@newslaundry) October 28, 2026
Students also reported that gates connecting parts of the campus and the boys’ hostels had been sealed. They said the restrictions affected not only those participating in the agitation but also students attempting to use university facilities and members of the public accessing services such as the health centre, dental hospital, bank, Aadhaar centre and post office.
Jamia Millia Islamia.
Students need to be heard: Prof Tripathi https://t.co/PUSBuN9Tjj— Rakhi Tripathi (@rakhitripathi) October 28, 2026
Police deployment and detentions deepen the confrontation
The university’s restrictions have coincided with an intensified police presence around the campus. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has been invoked to prohibit public gatherings in the area, and warning signs outside the campus have threatened the use of force and legal action to disperse unlawful assemblies.
On Wednesday, Delhi Police detained two members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Faizan and Zishan, outside Gate No. 4. According to The Hindu, the two were taken to Fatehpur Beri before being brought to Jamia Nagar police station. NSUI condemned the detentions, which came as the students’ hunger strike entered its 17th day.
Jamia Millia Islamia has extended online semester classes and examinations until January 2027 amid continuing student protests, according to the reported development. The decision has sparked fresh backlash, with students raising concerns over prolonged online learning and the disruption of campus life. The university’s move comes as demands for the restoration of the Students’ Union continue.
The revised schedule keeps students away from physical classrooms until at least mid-January, with even-semester classes scheduled to begin on January 13, 2027. Students are demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union and a fixed election timeline. The administration cites campus safety concerns.— Millat Times English (@Millat_English) October 29, 2026
Students have alleged that more than 70 protesters have been detained since October 12. Earlier, Niranjan KS, Arbaaj Khan and Munna Qureshi were arrested under provisions of the BNSS and sent to judicial custody, according to media reports.
“They are our children, they are your children too. Please accept their demands,” said Dr Rehana, a Jamia Millia Islamia alumna who has been monitoring the health of students on hunger strike, appealing to the university’s Vice-Chancellor.
Dr Rehana warned that the students’ health is deteriorating day by day as they continue their hunger strike demanding the restoration of the Students’ Union.
A health update displayed at the protest site shows that Ebin Basil has lost 7.1 kg after 17 days of hunger strike, with his weight dropping from 60 kg to 52.9 kg. Rehan Khan has lost 3.8 kg after 14 days, with his weight falling from 50 kg to 46.2 kg.
The board also lists Ritik and Aitaf on their third day of hunger strike and Abuzar on his second day.
— Maktoob (@MaktoobMedia) October 28, 2026
The police restrictions have also made the campus an increasingly difficult place for students to access and organise within. Protesters have described barricades, heavy deployment outside the gates and difficulties entering or leaving the university. Some have alleged that deliveries of drinking water and other essentials were stopped at the gates.
These are the darkest day of Jamia Millia Islamia. No students are allowed to see the flag hoisting ceremony on Foundation Day. Thus, students have decided to celebrate its own Foundation Day.
#JamiaProtest #restorejmisu https://t.co/JoAeDM7GPp
— Sherlock Holmes (@sherlock_hoIme) October 29, 2026
The situation also carries painful memories of the December 2019 police crackdown on Jamia students protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The circumstances of the current agitation are different, but the renewed presence of police around a university campus, alongside allegations of force against students, has revived concerns about the treatment of dissent at an institution that has previously been at the centre of national debates over civil liberties.
Administration alleges vandalism; students accuse it of discrediting the protest
The latest escalation followed allegations of vandalism on the night of October 27. In a statement reported by the media, the university said groups of protesting students and local residents had damaged gates and boundary walls, brought down Gate No. 4C, pelted stones and damaged the CCTV control room, cameras and their connections. It also alleged that masked protesters had attempted to mobilise support from the boys’ hostels and that female wardens and faculty members had been threatened.
Students have denied the university’s account and accused the administration of attempting to frame the agitation. One protester, Neville Thomas, alleged that the administration had erected aluminium sheets around parts of the campus and subsequently blamed students when the structures were damaged. Students have also alleged harassment by proctorial staff in the hostels, including the confiscation of identity cards and orders to close mess facilities from November 1.
Hostels face closure as students continue their protest
The reported decision to ask hostel residents to vacate by November 1 marks another escalation. The university has argued that keeping hostels open serves little practical purpose when classes have moved online and teachers are not attending campus. An official also alleged that a large proportion of protesters supporting vandalism were hostel residents.
For students from outside Delhi, hostel accommodation is not simply an extension of classroom attendance. It is their place of residence, and abrupt closure can create serious logistical and financial difficulties. The reported march by women residents of the BHM hostel on October 28, followed by a warning of disciplinary action from the provost, underscores the growing strain between students and the administration.
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi has said that negotiations are continuing and appealed to students not to create a law-and-order situation. He stated that the concerns raised by students were being examined by a body constituted for the purpose. But an appeal for order does not answer the question at the heart of the protest. Students are asking when their elected union will be restored, what timeline will govern the drafting and approval of its constitution, and whether the administration will withdraw the disciplinary measures imposed during the agitation.
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