What dissent looked like at Jamia Millia Islamia: students recall

Students celebrate the reinstatement of the student union at Jamia Millia Islamia on October 30, 2026. Photo credit: Shariya Ahmed After 20 years, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has agreed to restore its students’ union and set a timeline for elections. But this breakthrough did not come easily. Eighteen days of protests, during which students were forcefully dragged off campus, classes and examinations were shifted online, gates were sealed, numerous students were detained, and many of them were sent to judicial custody — all for demanding the restoration of a body that protects their rights.“At first, I didn’t take it [the protest] seriously,” Aliya Shaikh, 19, a second-year B.Sc. Geography student at Jamia, said, while getting ready for the Victory March, which the students had called on October 30, 2026, to celebrate the announcement of election dates the night before. “My department is inside Gate 7; every other day, someone like Jasim announces a protest. And then it ends after a day or two.” Published - November 03, 2026 08:30 am IST