Agreement Reached on Restoring Student Union at Jamia; Students on Hunger Strike End Their Protest

New Delhi: The administration of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University has set a deadline of May 15, 2027, to complete the process of drafting, approving, and implementing a constitution for a student union. Following this decision by the administration, an agreement was reached between student representatives and the university, leading the students—who had been on a hunger strike for 18 days—to end their protest.

The students welcomed the administration’s decision and celebrated the development on campus.

Notably, Ebin Basil and Rehan Ghani had been on a hunger strike to press for several demands, including the restoration of the student union. An agreement regarding their demands was reached on the 18th day of the strike. The students stated that the administration had issued an official notice confirming the acceptance of their demands and outlining steps toward their fulfillment.

One student explained that the decision to end the 18-day hunger strike was taken after the administration agreed to their demands. The strike was called off following progress toward the restoration of the student union. The students expressed their gratitude to the Registrar, university staff, and the administration.

Another student mentioned that Haris Beeran, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), acted as a mediator. He held discussions first with the Vice-Chancellor and subsequently with the student delegation. He then returned to the Vice-Chancellor’s office, where the agreement was officially announced. The hunger strike was brought to an end following the issuance of a press release and an official notification. The Registrar and Haris Beeran helped the students break their fast by offering them coconut water.

Mahtab Alam, the university Registrar, stated that the students had submitted three written demands. A key demand among these was the preparation of a draft constitution for the student union by May 15, 2027. The students also demanded that, once the constitution is drafted, student union elections be held in accordance with the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee. The administration has agreed to the timeline for drafting the constitution. It was clarified that the committee tasked with drafting the constitution will include not only professors and legal experts but also student representatives; representatives from each faculty will be included for this purpose.

The Registrar stated that the objective of this arrangement is to ensure student participation in the constitution-drafting process and to give due consideration to their views. By accepting the demands of the student representatives, the administration has decided to move forward in this direction.

Along with agreeing to the student union’s demands, the university administration also shared plans to resume offline classes. Registrar Mahtab Alam noted that while online classes had been initiated for students, the aim is now to resume offline classes following the Diwali break. He mentioned that the holidays continue until November 8, and students who have returned home have been requested to return by the specified date. He added that efforts will be made to commence offline classes immediately upon the students’ return.