Jamia Millia Islamia agrees to hold student union elections after 18-day protest
Jamia Millia Islamia has agreed to restore its students' union and set a timeframe for elections after nearly two decades, prompting students to call off their 18-day protest and hunger strike.
Jamia Millia Islamia has agreed to restore its students' union and hold elections after nearly two decades, following weeks of protests and a hunger strike by students on the Delhi campus.
The university administration on Thursday accepted the protesters' demands to set dates for drafting and approving a students' union constitution and for holding the elections themselves. In response, the students called off their 18-day agitation, the Indian Express and The Hindu reported.
The protest had grown steadily through October, with students arguing that the absence of an elected union left them without a formal voice in decisions affecting campus life. The hunger strike by a group of students increased pressure on the administration to commit to a concrete timetable rather than general assurances.
Separately, the university has extended online classes until 24 November and decided to hold end-semester examinations online, citing the current campus situation and concerns about student safety.
Attention will now turn to the drafting of the union's constitution and the election schedule the administration has promised, which will determine how quickly the first student union in a generation takes shape at the university.
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