Protestsupdated 1h ago3 min read
MapJamia Millia Islamia Student Ebin Basil Hunger Strike Demands Students’ Union Elections
“warning that the government would not tolerate ‘hooliganism’ or ‘rowdy behaviour’.”
“the administration’s latest measures have placed the burden of the standoff on the very students”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Ebin Basil enters 18th-day hunger strike demanding restoration of JMISU after 20-year suspension. Jamia Millia Islamia shifts to online classes and online odd-semester exams amid protests.
Save coverage image
Jamia hunger strike deepens
Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi has faced an indefinite hunger strike for Ebin Basil, a third-year student of law at the university, as Basil has been fasting since October 12 for the restoration of a students’ union suspended for the past 20 years.
Basil told Al Jazeera, “Till my last breath, I will be fighting,” as hundreds of Jamia students congregated in the grounds surrounding a statue of Mirza Ghalib near the university’s main entrance.
Jamia’s administration suspended Basil for a year and banned two other hunger strikers from the campus on October 16, and the university later announced that elections would be held within 15 days of the approval of a draft union constitution.
Basil said the university’s offer was “too slow,” and the protest continued as the campus gates were barricaded and armed police and paramilitary forces were stationed outside the gate.
Basil said, “They have closed the university gates completely and built a wall in front of them,” while he reported losing 7kg and saying, “My condition is very bad. I am not even able to walk on my own right now.”
Shutdown sparks political attack
Congress leader Pawan Khera condemned Jamia Millia Islamia’s prolonged closure, writing on X that “The undeclared emergency that India has been living under for months has now taken a more formal shape at Jamia Millia Islamia.”
Khera also argued that the university’s restrictions were imposed for students demanding their democratic rights, saying, “For what crime? For students demanding their fundamental constitutional right under Article 19(1)(c) to form associations and unions, including an elected student union.”
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned alleged violence at Jamia Millia Islamia and said the government would not tolerate “hooliganism” or “rowdy behaviour,” while also warning that action would be taken against those involved.
Joshi told reporters that student union elections have not been held since 2006 and said the last time elections were held there was a serious incident of violence, following which the process was suspended.
Joshi said a seven-member committee comprising senior deans and professors had been constituted to examine students’ grievances, and he added, “The committee will examine the grievances raised by the students.”
Classes online, discipline escalates
Jamia Millia Islamia shifted the remainder of its ongoing semester to online mode, with practical examinations, fieldwork and project vivas scheduled online from November 25 to 30, and end-semester theory examinations in online mode from December 1 to December 24. The university said it made the decision to ensure the safety and security of its students because the campus “is not conducive for academic environment,” and it scheduled winter vacation from December 25 to January 12 with even-semester classes set to begin on January 13, 2027. The Student Subject Association of the Department of Sociology rejected the extension of online classes, saying in a statement that “Such an arbitrary extension of online education, without a definite timeline or meaningful consultation with students, is unacceptable,” and it called for a boycott of online classes until normalcy is restored.
The university also issued a show-cause notice to a female hostel resident at Begum Hazrat Mahal Girls' Hostel, directing her to submit a written explanation within 24 hours after the provost alleged she obtained emergency leave on misleading grounds and participated in a student protest. The show-cause notice warned that failing to provide a satisfactory response could lead to disciplinary action, while the university said it had earlier ordered online classes till November 8 and that the October 28 order followed a meeting of deans, heads of departments, directors, and officials.