Students of Jamia Millia Islamia have continued their struggle for campus democracy and the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU), facing an escalating crackdown by the university administration and police. The indefinite hunger strike, launched on October 12 after two decades without students’ union elections, has been met with forcible eviction, disciplinary action, police violence and an intensified security clampdown.
On October 17, hunger-striking students were forcibly evicted from the campus in the early hours of the morning, beaten, manhandled and dragged out before being handed over to the Delhi Police. The administration subsequently shut the campus and restricted access. As students resumed their protest, police and paramilitary deployment intensified. On October 24, the protest site was dismantled amid further violence against students were unleashed, while classes were shifted online.
Students have rejected the administration’s attempts to deflect their demands and have insisted on a clear, time-bound commitment to holding students’ union elections. While the administration has announced steps towards restoring the union, students have pointed out that a definite timeline remains absent. They are also demanding the withdrawal of disciplinary action against protesting students and accountability for officials responsible for violence, along with the resignation of the Chief Security Advisor.
On October 27, the Delhi Police put up notices outside Gate 7 warning of action under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), with heavy police and paramilitary deployment continuing around the campus. The restrictions and intimidation have further intensified the confrontation instead of resolving the students’ legitimate demands.
The crackdown at Jamia reflects the wider assault on democratic dissent under the Modi-Shah regime, where students and young people demanding their rights are met with force rather than dialogue. A university that should nurture critical thought and democratic participation is being turned into a site of police control, with students punished for asserting their right to organise and protest.
CPI(ML) Liberation and AISA have condemned the escalating repression and demanded an immediate end to the crackdown, accountability for those responsible for violence against students, withdrawal of punitive action and a clear timeline for students’ union elections. They have reiterated their solidarity with the protesting students and their determination to defend campus democracy.
