Jamia students reject administration’s notice, say protest will continue until demands are met

Jamia Millia Islamia students have rejected the administration’s notice on holding students’ union elections, saying it lacks a clear timeline for approving the union constitution. They will continue their protest and hunger strike until their demands are addressed.

New Delhi: Students at the Jamia Millia Islamia University rejected the administration’s notice, stating that it fails to provide a clear and unambiguous commitment to the restoration of the students’ union and maintained that their agitation will continue until all their demands, including the resignation of the Proctor and the Security Advisor, are fully addressed.

The Jamia Millia Islamia administration on Monday accepted the demands of the protesting students and announced it would hold students’ union elections and constituted a committee to draft a students’ union constitution, while adding that the action against the protestors would be revoked.

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However, the students, in a statement, said, “Certain media reports claiming that Jamia Millia Islamia students have accepted the administration’s assurances and called off their 14-day-long protest are based on the university administration’s account, not the position of the protesting students. The students have categorically rejected the administration’s notice and maintained that their agitation will continue until all their demands are fully addressed.”

“The notice fails to provide a clear and unambiguous commitment to the restoration of the students’ union, which remains the central demand of the ongoing protest. Those observing a hunger strike will continue it until their demands are met,” the statement read.

The students expressed dissatisfaction with what they describe as a “vague and inadequate order”, pointing out that it provides “neither a definite timeline for approval of the students’ union constitution nor a clear roadmap for conducting union elections”.

“The notice also makes no mention of the resignation of the Proctor and the Security Advisor, which are among the other demands raised by the protesting students,” the statement read.

“We firmly believe that general assurances and ambiguous statements cannot be treated as fulfilment of our demands. The administration must issue a clear, written commitment with a proper timeline addressing all outstanding concerns, particularly the restoration of the students’ union and a definite timeline for the electoral process,” the students said.

“We reiterate that the agitation cannot be considered over merely because the administration has issued a notice or presented its own version of events. Any claim that the protest has been called off or that the students have accepted the administration’s assurances misrepresents the position of the protesting students. Our agitation will continue until the administration takes concrete and time-bound decisions on all our demands,” they added.

In an order issued on Monday, the University said that the elections would be held within 15 days of the approval of the students’ union constitution. However, it did not provide a timeline for the procedure.

The students have been protesting since October 12 to restore the JMISU, which was dissolved in 2006. Several students have been on a hunger strike, demanding restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) and the removal of the University’s Chief Proctor over a “crackdown” on protestors.