NEW DELHI: On the 10th day of an indefinite hunger strike by four students, with two of them hospitalised and a mass bunk of classes reported on Wednesday, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on October 21 announced the constitution of a committee to draft the constitution of its students’ union, taking a step towards restoring student representation on campus after nearly two decades.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the university said the committee would draft the Constitution of Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) in accordance with Articles 23(J) and (K) of the JMI Act, 1988. The last students’ union at the university was dissolved in 2006, and the campus has not witnessed students’ union elections since then.
The announcement comes amid an ongoing protest by students demanding the restoration of the union. Four students, including Jasim Khan, Ebin Basil, Faizan Haider and Rehan, have been on an indefinite hunger strike, while the agitation has also seen demonstrations and calls for a boycott of classes. Two students were hospitalised during the course of the protest on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the fight for restoring the students’ union garnered support from various MPs, alumni and leaders from DUSU, JNUSU and AMU.
According to the university, the decision followed a series of meetings between a seven-member high-level committee, constituted on October 18, and representatives of the protesting students. The committee, comprising senior deans and professors, was set up to engage with students and examine their demands.
The committee visited the protest site on October 19 to initiate dialogue and subsequently invited a group of student representatives for discussions at the office of the Dean of Social Sciences on October 20. The two-hour meeting was followed by another meeting at the Dean of Students’ Welfare office at 6.30 pm to formalise the minutes of the discussions.
However, the university said that despite several rounds of discussions, the students did not agree to sign the minutes.
On Wednesday, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mazhar Asif chaired a meeting attended by members of the high-level committee, all faculty deans, the Dean of Students’ Welfare, the Controller of Examinations, the Dean of Academic Affairs, the Chief Proctor, provosts and other senior officials to deliberate on the recommendations and discuss a way forward.
The newly constituted committee includes Professor Zubair Meenai, Dean of Social Sciences, as the chairperson; Professor Luqman Ahmad Khan, Dean of Life Sciences; Professor Aslam Khan, NMPCR; Professor Amarjeet Singh, CNESRP; and Professor Neelofar Afzal, DSW, as members. The committee will examine the circumstances that led to the dissolution of the students’ union in 2006, relevant court rulings, the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee (2007), and the university’s existing ordinances and statutes.
The university said the exercise was necessary in view of legal and institutional developments over the past two decades. It reiterated its commitment to safeguarding students’ rights, upholding democratic values and restoring normalcy on campus while protecting the academic environment.
