Jamia students refuse to end protest, seek definite election date

Students at Jamia Millia Islamia refused on Monday, 26 October to end their protest demanding restoration of the Students’ Union, insisting the administration announce a definite poll date rather than merely a 15-day window after the union’s constitution is approved. The university had directed that union elections be held within 15 days of the constitution’s ratification and revoked suspension notices, but students said no timeline was given for the constitution’s approval itself, leaving the process open-ended.

Scuffles broke out between protesters and security personnel on Monday, with The Indian Express reporting more than 700 security personnel on duty. The university issued a legal notice late Monday to hunger-striking student Rehan Khan ordering him to vacate the protest site at Gulistan-e-Ghalib, warning of disciplinary action. Five students began a hunger strike on 12 October, three, Ebin, Rehan and Rida, vowed to continue fasting on Monday, and a sixth student joined them early on Tuesday, 27 October. Online classes will remain through the Diwali holidays until 8 November, when the administration will review the situation.

Update, 27 October 2026: CNBC-TV18 reports that the university’s order claimed the protesting students agreed to issue a public apology for defamatory statements and to remove the related social media posts, a claim the other sources do not make. The Indian Express adds that a sixth student joined the hunger strike in the early hours of Tuesday, 27 October. All three sources confirm the protest entered its 16th day on Tuesday (27 October).