Jamia ends 18-day protest: student union back, elections due by August 2027
By TUF News Desk · Published 30 October 2026 · 3 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Students at Jamia Millia Islamia called off an 18-day protest on Thursday after the university accepted all three of their demands. The agreement sets May 15, 2027 as the deadline for approving and implementing the students’ union constitution, with elections to follow within six weeks of the start of the next academic session.
Registrar Professor Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi confirmed the agreement and ended the hunger strike by offering juice to the protesting students. The university has not had an elected student union since the body was dissolved in 2006.
What the university has now agreed
The constitution will be drafted with student representatives from every faculty on the committee, alongside professors and legal experts. Rizvi laid out the steps that follow: the draft goes to stakeholders for comments, then for legal vetting, and then to the Academic Council, the Executive Council and the Visitor’s nominee for final consent.
The election timeline is the part that changed. Elections will be held within six weeks of the start of the next academic session, which Rizvi put at around July 16, 2027. On that calendar, polls would fall in July or August 2027.
The third demand was also met. The university has revoked disciplinary action taken against students during the protest, including rustication, suspension and show-cause notices.
Why the earlier order did not end the protest
The October 30 agreement replaces an October 26 order that students rejected within hours. That order said elections would be held 15 days after the constitution was approved, but it named no date for the approval itself. Students argued that without that date, there was still no fixed election date, and they kept the protest going.
The October 26 order had already revoked suspension and show-cause notices and set up a committee to look into the conduct of security staff. What it lacked, and what the new agreement supplies, is the May 15 deadline for the constitution.
The protest began on October 12, when students demanded the restoration of the union and a clear election timetable. The university had earlier formed a five-member committee to draft a constitution, a step students also rejected at the time because it carried no election date: Jamia forms student union panel after 20 years; protesters reject it, strike continues.
Students call it a victory
Student protester Ebin Basil described the outcome as a great victory for the students, telling reporters it would be written in golden words in Jamia’s history. Rehan Mewati, who said he had been on hunger strike for 15 days, said the administration had sided with the truth and that his health had been deteriorating.
IUML MP Haris Beeran, who said he had spoken to student representatives and the Vice-Chancellor over the past two to three days, said the Vice-Chancellor accepted the demands after meeting the Registrar and the Dean.
For students comparing campuses, the episode is a reminder that student representation varies widely between universities. Our guide on how to choose a university in India covers what to check beyond courses and fees. The official Jamia Millia Islamia website carries the university’s own notices.
Frequently asked questions
When will Jamia Millia Islamia hold student union elections?
Elections will be held within six weeks of the start of the next academic session, which the university puts at around July 16, 2027, pointing to polls in July or August 2027.
What deadline has Jamia set for the students’ union constitution?
The approval and implementation of the union constitution must be completed by May 15, 2027.
What happened to disciplinary action against protesting students?
The university has revoked rustication, suspension and show-cause notices issued to students during the protest period.
How long has Jamia been without an elected student union?
The union was dissolved in 2006, and no election has been held since.
Frequently asked questions
When will Jamia Millia Islamia hold student union elections?
Elections will be held within six weeks of the start of the next academic session, which the university puts at around July 16, 2027, pointing to polls in July or August 2027.
What deadline has Jamia set for the students' union constitution?
The approval and implementation of the union constitution must be completed by May 15, 2027.
What happened to disciplinary action against protesting students?
The university has revoked rustication, suspension and show-cause notices issued to students during the protest period.
How long has Jamia been without an elected student union?
The union was dissolved in 2006, and no election has been held since.
Sources: News18, Republic World