Three Jamia students on hunger strike: no student union election since 2006

By TUF News Desk · Published 14 October 2026 · 3 min read

Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy

Three students at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi have stopped eating. Their demand is a date for student union elections, something the university has not held since 2006.

The hunger strike began on the night of Monday, October 12. The three students are Jasim Khan, who is doing a master’s in International Studies; Najmul Huda, a third-year BTech student; and Ebin Basil, a third-year BA LLB student. Their campaign has circulated a short message: “Three students. No food. One demand.”

The strike started at Gate No. 18, the campus’s designated protest site. After Jasim Khan was allegedly picked up and dropped at Sukhdev Vihar, the protesters moved to Gate No. 7, near the statue of poet Mirza Ghalib. On Tuesday, police personnel, including women officers, were stationed outside Gate No. 7, and entry to the campus was regulated, with visitors asked to show identity cards.

What the protesters want

The students want the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union restored, and a clear timeline for elections. Their argument is plain: class representatives can take up issues in one classroom. Questions that affect the whole university need a body that speaks for all students. An elected union, they say, would give students a formal platform to raise grievances and take part in campus decision-making.

Jamia has not had an elected student union since 2006, when elections were suspended over concerns about campus discipline, politicisation and clashes. Since then, student organisations have submitted memorandums to university officials, but the demand has stayed unresolved for nearly two decades.

What the university has said

The Hindu reported that the Jamia administration said it had never said no to elections, but had not received any written representation on the matter. The university has not announced an election date.

The AMU precedent

The Jamia protest follows a similar agitation at Aligarh Muslim University, where the administration announced student union elections for 2026-27 after a student hunger strike that ran for nearly three weeks. Jamia students say that outcome encouraged them. Jasim Khan told The New Indian Express that they had “gathered courage after a long time” and that the protest to demand a basic right as a student was much needed.

The Jamia students have said the hunger strike will continue until the administration announces an official election date. For now, no date has been announced, and the protest continues at Gate No. 7.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does Jamia Millia Islamia not have a student union?

Student union elections were discontinued in 2006 over concerns about campus discipline, politicisation and clashes. No election has been held since.

Who are the students on hunger strike at Jamia?

Jasim Khan, a master’s student in International Studies; Najmul Huda, a third-year BTech student; and Ebin Basil, a third-year BA LLB student.

What are the Jamia protesters demanding?

The restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union and a clear timeline from the university for holding elections.

Has the Jamia administration responded to the hunger strike?

The Hindu reported that the administration said it had never said no to elections, but had not received any written representation on the matter.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: The New Indian Express, The Hindu, Careers360, ETV Bharat