After two decades, Jamia Millia Islamia orders student union polls within 15 days of constitution approval; students reject move, vow to continue stir
NEW DELHI: Jamia Millia Islamia has ordered the resumption of students’ union elections, stating that polls will be held within 15 days of approval of the union’s constitution.The university has also revoked suspension orders and show-cause notices issued to students during the ongoing protest and announced an inquiry into the conduct of security personnel during the agitation.However, protesting students have rejected the administration’s order, calling it ambiguous and insisting that the agitation will continue until their demands are addressed through clear, written commitments.An order issued by Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi on Monday, October 26, states that elections to the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) will be held 15 days after the union’s constitution is approved. It also provides for a committee to inquire into the actions of security staff during the protest.The order came after the administration held talks with students who had submitted a list of demands, including the restoration of the elected students’ union, withdrawal of disciplinary action and an inquiry into alleged excesses by security personnel.According to the order, the protesting students have agreed to issue a public apology through a press conference for allegedly defamatory statements, actions or social media posts targeting the university administration during the agitation. The posts are to be taken down from social media platforms with immediate effect.The order states that the protest will be called off immediately following its issuance.However, the Jammu & Kashmir Students Association said the order did not provide a definite timeline for approval of the union’s constitution or address the students’ demand for the resignation of the proctor.“Assurances without concrete decisions and a clear roadmap cannot be treated as fulfilment of our demands,” the student organisation said in a statement, adding that the agitation would continue until the administration provided written commitments addressing their concerns.According to the association, Registrar Rizvi arrived on campus around 4.30am on Monday for talks with the protesters. He shared the administration’s order and urged the students to end their agitation, saying their demands had been met.The protest has centred on the demand for the restoration of JMISU, whose elections have not been held since 2006. Four students had been on an indefinite hunger strike, while other protesters sought a time-bound election schedule, withdrawal of disciplinary action and an inquiry into the conduct of security personnel.Amid escalating tensions, the university had earlier shifted classes across courses to online mode and advised students against visiting the campus. It had also announced that gates and libraries would remain closed until further notice.The administration had said a seven-member committee of professors held multiple rounds of talks with the protesters. A committee to draft the JMISU constitution was notified on October 21.Students, however, had argued that setting up the drafting committee was insufficient without a definite election timeline and student representation in the process.The latest order addresses some of their demands, including the withdrawal of disciplinary action and an inquiry into the conduct of security personnel. However, the lack of a fixed deadline for approval of the constitution remains a key point of contention.(With agency inputs)
