Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal described the outcome as a victory for student power, accusing the university administration of attempting to suppress the movement. His comments followed an October 29 order setting May 15, 2027, as the deadline for approving and implementing the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union constitution.
“The students of Jamia Millia Islamia Central University have won!” Venugopal wrote on X. He added: “In the end, the fascists had to bend before student power. Democracy was hard-fought but was won eventually!”
The Congress leader alleged that the administration, which he characterised as BJP-controlled, had tried to divide and discredit the protesters. He also accused the authorities of sending leaders of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India to Tihar Jail for participating in the agitation. Those accusations were political claims, rather than findings established by the university’s order.
Venugopal praised the students for what he called their non-violent struggle and said the outcome should serve as a lesson to those seeking to silence young people. The university’s decision itself did not endorse the Congress leader’s characterisation of the dispute.
The order, issued by the registrar’s office, said the competent authority had examined a request submitted by students and their representatives on Thursday. It directed that the union constitution be approved and implemented by May 15 next year, providing a specific deadline that protesters had demanded during negotiations.
The administration also undertook to notify elections after approval of the constitution, following the recommendations and guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee, which governs important aspects of student union elections at universities.
Voting is to take place within six weeks of the beginning of the next academic session, expected to commence around July 16, 2027. The schedule places the anticipated elections in the following weeks, although the precise polling date has not been announced.
The university further directed the withdrawal of ongoing show-cause notices, disciplinary inquiries, rustications, suspensions and campus entry bans imposed in connection with participation in the protest. That assurance addressed another principal demand of the demonstrators, who had challenged disciplinary measures taken during the confrontation.
The registrar’s order called on students to end their protest and hunger strike immediately. Student representatives subsequently announced that they were calling off the agitation, marking the end of a standoff that had disrupted activities on the New Delhi campus.
The protest began on October 12, with students seeking the return of an elected representative body and a firm commitment on when union elections would be held. The university has not held students’ union elections for approximately two decades, making the proposed timetable a significant institutional change.
Earlier negotiations had failed to resolve the dispute because an administrative assurance did not specify a deadline for approving the constitution. Protesters also objected to disciplinary restrictions and provisions concerning apologies, prompting further discussions with university officials.
The October 29 decision addressed the absence of a timetable and the disciplinary measures, although implementation of the constitution and the actual conduct of elections remain future administrative steps. Approval of the framework should therefore not be confused with an elected union already taking office.
The announcement coincided with the university’s foundation day, when students were marking the institution’s anniversary amid the continuing mobilisation. Demonstrators welcomed the order and celebrated on campus after receiving confirmation of the administration’s commitments.
The dispute had also affected teaching arrangements. The university announced that offline classes would resume from November 2, following a period when academic activities had been shifted online during the agitation.
The Lyngdoh Committee guidelines referred to in the order provide the framework for the electoral process, including requirements governing candidates and campaigning. The university will have to incorporate the applicable provisions when it issues its election notification after the constitution is approved.
The registrar’s directive followed a written request from the hunger strikers and their delegates dated October 29. It covers disciplinary measures connected specifically with participation in the protest, rather than announcing a general withdrawal of unrelated university proceedings. The university’s formal election notification remains dependent on completing the constitutional approval process within the stipulated deadline.
