New Delhi, Oct. 29 -- In a landmark turn of events on Jamia Millia Islamia's 106th Foundation Day, an 18-day-old student agitation culminated in a major victory for campus democracy. The university administration on Thursday officially issued an order outlining a concrete timeline for the restoration of the Jamia Students' Union, which has remained banned for two decades.

The historic breakthrough followed weeks of escalating campus tension, administrative crackdowns, and heavy police deployment under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). What is traditionally a day of official state-sponsored ceremonies, chief guest speeches, and traditional festivities turned into an active site of student struggle. Students rejected scripted programs and marked October 29 with revolutionary poetry, slogans, and public assemblies under the shadow of heavy law enforcement.

An 18-Day Struggle Meets Firm Resistance

The protest began on October 12 as a peaceful movement centered around an indefinite sit-in near the Ghalib statue lawns and a hunger strike by student leaders demanding democratic representation. The standoff escalated abruptly when administrative interventions led to police presence inside and around campus, resulting in forceful detentions and the issuance of disciplinary notices.

In an effort to disperse the gathering, the university administration shifted classes and examinations to online mode, restricted campus entry, and closed key facilities. Despite these restrictive measures and deteriorating health among the hunger strikers, the student community remained resolute, invoking revolutionary verses like poet Paash's famous lines: "I am grass, I will grow over everything you do..."

The Breakthrough and Official Timeline

Following intensive multi-day negotiations, the deadlock was broken through a formal request letter submitted by the student delegation. In response, Registrar Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi issued an official order (F.No. RO/JMI/2026) outlining three binding directions:

Drafting the Constitution: The approval and implementation of the Jamia Millia Islamia Student Union Constitution will be completed by May 15, 2027.

Election Notification: Elections will be notified and conducted in accordance with Lyngdoh Committee guidelines within six weeks of the start of the 2027 academic session (approximately within six weeks from July 16, 2027).

Revocation of Disciplinary Actions: All ongoing show-cause notices, suspensions, rustications, and campus ban orders issued in connection with the agitation will be revoked immediately.

Dialogue and Restoring Campus Life

The final breakthrough came after three days of continuous deliberations between university officials and a seven-member student delegation comprising representatives from NSUI, AISA, Fraternity Movement, MSF, and independent student activists. The final agreement was facilitated following intervention by Haris Beeram, Member of Parliament from Kerala, who met with the Vice-Chancellor to convey the hunger strikers' core demands. With the acceptance of their demands and the formal revocation of disciplinary actions, student organizations declared victory and officially called off the 18-day agitation. Campus operations and offline academic activities are expected to resume shortly, concluding one of the most intense chapters of student activism in Jamia's recent history.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.