Ex-Jamia union president backs students’ demand for campus election restoration

Shams Perwaiz was elected president before the union was dissolved again in 2006, citing violence and disruption

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has had an elected students’ union for just 13 years in its nearly 105-year history. The union was first formed in 1981-82, and Zubair Khan was its first elected president. The union was discontinued in 1997 and restored in 2005-06 following nearly a decade of struggle. Shams Perwaiz was elected president before the union was dissolved again in 2006, citing violence and disruption to academic life on campus.

Five students have been on a hunger strike demanding restoration of Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) elections. (HT Photo)

Five students—Ebin Basil, Mohd Jasim Khan, Rehan Haider, Rehan Pawar and Faizan Ali Khan—have been on an indefinite hunger strike since October 12, demanding restoration of Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) elections

Perwaiz, 47, who is from Bihar’s Champaran, said he was among the students who fought a nearly decade-long battle against the administration to restore the union a decade back. “There were several protests demanding the restoration of the union, and eventually, it was reinstated.”

He added the administration introduced a clause stipulating that the union’s term would end every year in March. “I was elected in December 2005, but my term ended just three months later, in March 2006,” said Perwaiz.

His tenure was brief but Perwaiz recalled his achievements during his tenure, including Internet services in all the hostels when it was an expensive facility. “We also demanded 24/7 access to the library. That demand was not fully met, but I do remember that the library hours were extended.”

Students union list of Jamia Millia Islamia

Perwaiz said university is for students, and a students’ union serves that purpose by being its voice. “As long as a students’ union is elected through a fair electoral process and its leaders exercise restraint, refrain from violence and do not engage in criminal activities, I fail to understand why a university should not allow it to function,” he said, referring to the ongoing protests for restoring students’ union elections.

The JMI administration has suspended three of the protesting students and barred one from campus for a year and the other two for six months. JMI security forcibly removed protesting students, citing violations of the designated protest-site rules and disruption to academic activities.

The administration’s move fuelled the protests on Saturday and Sunday. More students joined the protest at Gulistan-i-Ghalib garden inside the JMI campus, where the statue of poet Mirza Ghalib was covered with colourful notes saying “JMISU Opening Soon”.

Basil, 22, said that Aligarh Muslim University’s decision to restore students’ union elections after a decade and the penalisation of students on the JMI campus over the past year were the two key triggers for their hunger strike.

“Recently, students at JMI protested over the quality of food in hostel messes, following which some were penalised. Another student was suspended for a critical speech in the central library. Over the past year, I have witnessed the penalisation of students, and it worries me a lot,” said Basil. “If the union is restored, my priority would be to ensure freedom of speech and expression on campus. Hostel-related issues and fee hikes would be two other key priorities.”