Jamia students hold general body meeting, demand restoration of students' union

Jamia Millia Islamia students held a general body meeting on Thursday at the university's Ghalib lawn, with hundreds participating, to demand the restoration of the students' union, dissolved in 2006, according to a statement from student organisations. The United Students of Jamia, a newly formed body, said several student organisations and students called the meeting to support the ongoing hunger strike and sit-in protest on campus, mounting pressure on the administration to announce the date for student elections. The student organisations said the large turnout reflected support for continuing the struggle for the union and that the meeting would take up resolutions on its proposed structure and functioning.

Also Read | AI engineer builds app for blind students in higher education; over 1,000 use it to read in 30 languages

JMI constitutes committee

The development comes a day after Jamia's administration constituted a committee to draft the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU) constitution and to review disciplinary action taken or initiated against protesting students. In an email to university officials on Thursday, Dean of Students' Welfare Neelofer Afzal said the administration took these two steps after interactions between the vice-chancellor-constituted high-level committee and the protesting students. However, the students had not agreed to the proposed resolution, and normalcy had not been restored on campus, she said.

Citing the continuing protest and concerns over the safety and well-being of students and visitors, the university has cancelled its annual "Talimi Mela 2026", scheduled from October 29 to November 1. Students have been protesting since October 12, demanding notice of the JMISU election schedule for the 2026-27 academic session. The United Students of Jamia, a collective comprising AIDSO, AIRSO, AISA, DISHA, DISSC, Fraternity Movement, MSF, SFI, and SIO, issued the press release.