NEW DELHI, October 26 (Aalimi Nation) – Jamia Millia Islamia on Monday issued an order agreeing in principle to hold elections to the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union, a body that has not been elected since 2006, as a protest over the issue entered its third week. Students said the order was ambiguous and that parts of their agitation would continue.

What the university order says

According to the order dated October 26, elections to the students' union will be held within 15 days of approval of the union's constitution. The university has not announced a date for the election, and the order does not say when the proposed constitution will be approved.

The order also revoked the suspension orders and show-cause notices issued to students during the protest. It announced a committee to inquire into the conduct of security personnel during the agitation.

The administration attached conditions. The order said protesting students had undertaken to issue a public apology at a press conference for statements, actions or social media posts against the administration, and that such posts should be taken down "with immediate effect". It also said the protest "shall be called off immediately" once the order was issued. The university said it had recorded the students' submission and would monitor compliance.

Students say the order is unclear

Students who spoke after the order was issued said it remained ambiguous. Their main objection was the lack of a definite timeline for approving the constitution and holding the poll. They also said the order did not address their demand for the resignation of the Proctor.

Four students are on an indefinite hunger strike, and a PhD scholar is holding an indefinite sit-in at the Gulistan-e-Ghalib lawns on the campus. A student group said the university's Registrar met protesters at about 4:30 am on Monday, shared the official order and asked them to call off the agitation.

Tensions of recent days

The standoff has escalated over the past week. On Saturday the university moved classes for all courses online, citing student safety and security amid rising tension at the protest site. More than 1,500 teaching and non-teaching staff, along with the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar, marched to Gate No. 7 to urge students to end the protest.

Students alleged that several protesters were detained by police after they were denied entry to the campus. On Thursday, students of the Law Department held a "black coat" march in Delhi. Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Congress MPs Imran Masood and Imran Pratapgarhi and others, based on a complaint from the university, which accuses them of trespassing on the campus and inciting unrest.

Accounts differ on how long the union has been without an election, with some describing the gap as 21 years and others as nearly two decades.

What happens next

Whether the protest ends will depend on whether the administration and students agree on a date for the election and a schedule for approving the union's constitution. Classes remain online until further notice.