A step forward in Jamia, a long road ahead

The administration has committed to a time-frame. It has also ordered the withdrawal of disciplinary proceedings and campus bans linked to the protest. This is a significant moment. It must signal the beginning of a more open relationship between the university and its student

The Jamia impasse came as demands for accountability by the young find renewed expression through the Gen Z protests.

3 min readOct 31, 2026 06:50 AM IST First published on: Oct 31, 2026 at 06:50 AM IST

The Jamia Millia Islamia administration’s decision to restore student union elections after nearly two decades is a resonant victory for its students. It brings to an end a bitter standoff, during which repressive disciplinary action and restrictions on essential services illustrated and deepened a breakdown of trust. That it should have taken an 18-day hunger strike by students to arrive at a resolution is a travesty.

Spectres of vicious politicisation have been invoked to justify the suspension of student elections across universities in the country. The Lyngdoh Committee, constituted in 2005, recognised the dangers of money, muscle power and excessive external political influence in campus elections. Its recommendations, which sought to make student politics more transparent and accountable, have been used by universities to do away with elections altogether. This has removed the process through which decision-making on campus can be opened up to student participation, and their concerns and grievances can be addressed. It has also contributed to a steady infantilisation of young adults. Inspired in part by the mobilisation at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for the revival of its student union, the Jamia protest spoke to a larger demand for a more equal campus. Like AMU, Jamia has a distinctive history of nurturing intellectual and political consciousness — student life has rarely been immune to larger questions of representation and citizenship. For too many, the campus is also a place where the costs of dissent have been experienced first-hand — for instance, during the police crackdown in December 2019 on protests against a discriminatory law that made religion a criterion for citizenship.

The Jamia impasse came as demands for accountability by the young find renewed expression through the Gen Z protests. Karnataka has green lit student polls, MP has seen judicial intervention in favour of elections, and Maharashtra has appointed a committee to frame a mechanism for their return. In Odisha, too, talks are on with stakeholders. At Jamia, the administration has committed to a time-frame. It has also ordered the withdrawal of disciplinary proceedings and campus bans linked to the protest. This is a significant moment. It must signal the beginning of a more open relationship between the university and its students.