Jamia students vow to expand protest demanding students' union

Jamia Millia Islamia University students today vowed to expand their protest demanding reinstatement of a students' union, as they appealed to student leaders in other central varsities to hold demonstrations in their respective campuses.
A section of students is on a hunger strike since October 25 seeking to push the administration to conduct elections for students' union, disbanded in 2006.
Members of the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), one of students bodies spearheading the protest, said the varsity administration was placing invalid reasons for not holding elections, despite they having a clear pathway for restoring the union.
The Jamia students appealed to leaders of students unions in various central universities to hold protests in their respective campuses and requested individuals to take part in the protests on the JMI campus.

Talking about the issue, vice-chancellor Talat Ahmad had earlier said that though he does not have any issue in reinstating the students union, he "cannot take a decision because the matter was sub-judice".
"Instead of coming up with a solid solution for the students' demands, the administration was placing an invalid reason by saying 'the matter is sub-judice'," Afzal Khan, a student, said at a press conference today.

"We appeal to all the supporters of democracy in the nation to support the struggle in JMI," he said.
Jamia had in 2012 assured the Delhi High Court that there is no discomfort and objection to elections as well as an elected student body, the students said in a statement.

"It also said that they would first conduct the students council election for the first two years and thereafter the JMI can hold the students union polls according to the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations," the statement said.