New Delhi, Oct. 27 -- Jamia Millia Islamia reached a flashpoint on Tuesday as protesting students rejected the university administration's proposed agreement, continuing a high-stakes hunger strike that has entered its 16th day. What began as a peaceful movement demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU) disbanded since 2006 has escalated into a severe standoff marked by heavy police deployment, gated lockdowns, and mass detentions across the campus perimeter.
The crisis intensified after Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was enforced outside the university grounds to prohibit unlawful assemblies. Security personnel barricaded main entry gates, welded alternate access points shut, and deployed surveillance drones overhead. Meanwhile, the administration extended online classes through November 8, ordered mid-term examinations online, and directed students to immediately vacate protest hubs at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawn under threat of strict legal action. While the administration offered concessions on October 26 revoking prior student suspensions and forming an inquiry panel to investigate security personnel conduct in exchange for public apologies protesters dismissed the order. Hunger strikers, including Ebin Basil, Rehan, Abuzar Gour, and Rithik, pointed out that the agreement lacked a binding timeline for approving the union constitution or scheduling elections. Protesters have maintained their demand for a written commitment directly from the Vice-Chancellor alongside the immediate resignation of the Proctor and Security Adviser.
Humanitarian conditions inside the campus have grown increasingly dire. Protesting groups, including the Students' Federation of India (SFI) Delhi, allege that basic amenities including electricity, toilet access, and water supply have been deliberately cut off. Outside medical professionals have been barred from entering, leaving internal doctors to test strikers' blood without releasing detailed health reports. Video footage and student testimonials show supporters attempting to pass food packets and water bottles through gate grills, as police officers actively warn them away. Multiple individuals, including student leaders Arbaaj Khan, Munna Qureshi, and Comrade Anjan Azad, were reportedly detained or sent to judicial custody at Tihar jail simply for delivering essential supplies to the protestors alleged by student leaders.
Visiting academic Prof. V.K. Tripathi voiced solidarity with the demonstration, emphasising that universities must remain spaces for open debate rather than administrative authoritarianism. He urged authorities to restore student unions akin to historic models at Aligarh Muslim University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Despite physical exhaustion and mounting administrative pressure, the hunger strikers insist their demonstration will persist. As student leader Ebin Basil stated from the
protest site, the hunger strike will end only when the Vice chancellor should personally visit them and issues a formal written commitment restoring the student union.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.