Overview
- The protest began with an indefinite hunger strike on Oct. 12 by students demanding restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union and a clear election timeline.
- The university on Saturday, Oct. 24, ordered all courses to be held online, closed libraries and canteens, and restricted gate access citing student safety and continuity of teaching.
- Jamia has formed negotiating and constitution-drafting committees and said disciplinary action taken after Oct. 12 will be reviewed, but students call the measures slow and insufficient.
- Student groups and the administration offer sharply different accounts of recent clashes: students say tents were torn down and protesters were manhandled during talks, while the university says staff were pushed.
- The dispute has escalated politically with heavy police deployment, the cancellation of the university’s Foundation Day events, and a formal police complaint against Congress MPs who visited the campus.