Students at Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi ended their 18-day protest on Thursday after the administration agreed to a timeline for student union elections. The decision follows disciplinary action against striking students being revoked and the announcement of offline classes and exams.
After 18 days of continuous protests, students at Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi have agreed to call off their demonstrations following an agreement from the administration to restore the student union and set a timeline for its elections. The decision was announced on Thursday evening.
The university has not held student union elections since 2006, with students protesting since October 12 over this issue, among others. Five students had even gone on hunger strike. On October 16, one of the striking students was rusticated, two were suspended, and all three were banned from entering the campus for a year.
However, on Thursday, the university revoked all disciplinary action taken against protesting students. The administration has now set May 15 as the deadline for approving and implementing the student union constitution. Elections will be held within six weeks of the start of the next academic session, or by the end of August, according to the order.
In an order issued on Wednesday, it had announced that end-semester examinations would be held online. However, the university announced on Monday that the student union elections would be held within 15 days of the forum’s constitution being approved, with classes and exams scheduled to resume offline. On Thursday, it was confirmed that in-person classes for all courses will resume on Monday and end-semester examinations will also be held offline.
Students had continued their protest saying that the administration had not addressed all their demands, with the lack of a specific deadline being a point of contention between them. They alleged that they had been pressured into signing the agreement. Additionally, more than 70 students have reportedly been detained by the Delhi Police since October 12.
A first information report was registered on Thursday in connection with alleged vandalism near a campus gate, based on a complaint by the university, according to the Hindustan Times.
Source:
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