New Delhi, Oct 28 Jamia Millia Islamia’s 106th Foundation Day is expected to be a low-key affair on Thursday, with the university cancelling cultural programmes amid escalating tensions over students’ demand to restore union elections, suspended since 2006.
The university is also considering shutting hostels within the next two days following alleged vandalism on campus.
The university will hoist only the national flag and sing the national anthem and the Jamia Tarana, also known as Tarana-e-Jamia, on Thursday, a university official said, adding that all other celebrations were cancelled due to security concerns.
“It is indeed a sad day as we had several things lined up. Even last year, the Foundation Day was celebrated with much pride and fanfare, but we have cancelled everything considering the security issues right now,” the official told PTI.
Last year, the university marked its 105th Foundation Day with a six-day Talimi Mela, an educational and cultural festival that returned to the campus after more than a decade. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the celebrations on October 29, 2025; they featured music performances, ghazals, poetry recitals, dance performances, a food festival, and a ‘Run for Unity’.
This year’s subdued celebrations come as the protest demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) entered its 17th day on Wednesday, with four students continuing an indefinite hunger strike.
The university is also considering closing its hostels within the next two days, with the official saying meetings are underway to decide the matter.
The official said many hostel residents were participating in the protest and questioned the need to keep hostels open when classes, libraries, and other campus activities had shifted online. “We are holding meetings and deciding what to do, but we might notify the closure of hostels within the next two days,” the official said.
The development follows what the university described as widespread vandalism during the night of October 27. In a statement, it alleged that groups of protesting students and locals damaged gates and boundary walls, brought down gate number 4C, threw stones and damaged surveillance cameras and the CCTV control room.
The university also alleged that a group of masked protesters reached the boys’ hostels in an attempt to mobilise additional support. It said the infrastructure damage raised serious concerns about the safety of students, faculty members and non-teaching staff.
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned the violent actions at Jamia. “What happened at Jamia Millia Islamia is very unfortunate, and I strongly condemn it. Student union elections have not been held there since 2006. The last time elections were held, there was a serious incident of violence, following which the process was suspended.
“A demand was raised for elections to be held, but some people were also involved in anti-university activities. Action was taken against those involved, but it was alleged that some innocent people were also targeted,” Joshi told reporters.
The university official rejected social media allegations that students were being prevented from entering or leaving campus, saying they could move in and out using their identity cards. The official questioned why protesters would allegedly use masks and heavy tools to break gates if they had valid access to the university, suggesting that outsiders could have been involved.
Students have taken to social media to express solidarity with the protesters, urging peers to change their profile pictures and amplify the demand to restore the students’ union.
A solidarity appeal circulated among students called on those unable to reach the protest site to support the agitation through online posts, posters and statements, including by displaying a protest profile picture bearing the slogan, “Respect my existence or expect my resistance!”
The appeal described the campaign as a symbol of collective resistance, urging students in online classes to use their profile pictures to show solidarity with fellow students. The protest has continued despite the university’s decision on Monday to hold student union elections within 15 days of approving the union’s constitution.
The administration also revoked suspension and show-cause notices issued to students during the agitation and ordered an enquiry into the conduct of security personnel.
However, protesting students have maintained that the administration must announce a definite date for the polls and set a timeline for approving the constitution. The university shifted all courses to online classes on October 24, citing concerns over students’ safety and security amid escalating tensions. Online classes are scheduled to continue until November 8, after which the situation will be reviewed.
Earlier in the day, the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged that two of its members, Faizan, the organisation’s Jamia unit president, and Zeeshan, a former national head of its social media wing, were detained by the Delhi Police at gate number 4 and taken to an undisclosed location.
Security was tightened outside the university gates, with senior police officials on campus. Police sources said they detained and removed some students from the university campus.
Jamia Nagar police station registered an FIR on October 25 against Congress MPs Imran Masood and Imran Pratapgarhi, along with others, following a complaint by university Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi over alleged unauthorised entry and related incidents during the agitation. The complaint alleged that Pratapgarhi entered the campus on October 21 after breaking the lock of Gate No. 4A, while Masood entered on October 23 by scaling a boundary wall near Gafoor Nagar with the help of a ladder.
Jamia, a Central University, was established in 1920 in Aligarh, United Provinces. After five years, it moved to Karol Bagh, Delhi, and was later built in Jamia Nagar. In 1988, it became a Central University.
(PTI News)
