‘Didn’t expect that soon’: Jamia Millia Islamia students takes out victory march

The commitment followed an 18-day hunger protest and includes a timeline for implementing the union constitution and conducting elections.

Describing it as a hard-fought triumph, hundreds of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) students joined a victory march on the campus on Friday, a day after the university agreed to restore the students’ union and hold elections after nearly two decades.

Students of Jamia Millia Islamia celebrate their victory during a march inside the university campus on Friday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The march began from Gulistan-i-Ghalib Garden – the protest site – and converged through the university’s North Campus, with students chanting slogans like “Inquilab Zindabad” amid the rhythmic beats of drums.

The students called off their 18-day-long hunger protest on Thursday after the university administration committed to implementing the students’ union constitution by May 15, 2027 and holding elections within six weeks of the academic session beginning on July 16, 2027.

20-year-old Ameera Khan, an undergraduate student, said there was little hope of a positive outcome, and Thursday’s announcement took everyone by surprise.

In a Thursday notification, the JMI administration also announced resumption of offline classes from November 10 and conducting mid-semester examinations from November 16 to 21.

JMI’s North Campus, particularly Gate No. 7, which had remained closed for several days, with multiple layers of barricading and heavy security deployment inside and outside the premises, was finally reopened.

“I have been at the university for five years, but I have never witnessed students coming together in such large numbers as they did over the past few weeks. It was a difficult journey, with almost every day a new circular would come, imposing restrictions,” said Hida Khan, a PhD scholar. “The past few weeks were chaotic, but looking back, all that chaos now seems to have been worth it,” Khan added.

Students said the protest brought them a lifetime experience.

“3 to 5 am used to be the time when all of us residing in the building would be extremely alert, fearing detention. We struggled for food and water. Every time, we would see guards; we would alert our friends inside the building and those outside,” said S M Husaini, 20, who participated in the protest.

Shakil Ansari, a law student and member of the legal aid team formed during the protest to assist detained students, said a gap of a few months before the elections would benefit students.

“It is better to have a gap of a few months after the constitution is notified before the election process begins. Otherwise, most students would be occupied with semester examinations, followed by the academic break,” said Ansari.