Five students of Jamia Millia Islamia launched an indefinite hunger strike this week demanding the restoration of the university’s students’ union, reviving a demand that has remained unresolved for nearly two decades.“Due to the absence of a students’ union, the voice of the students is being suppressed. There is no elected representative of students to raise their issues before the administration, ranging from basic amenities like hostels, drinking water, washrooms, classrooms, library, lifts to major academic problems,” read a statement issued by the students on Wednesday.When contacted, senior officials from Jamia’s Proctor’s Office said the protest was not being held at the designated site, Gate No. 18. They also disputed the identity of the students participating in the protest, claiming that they were “outsiders”.ALSO READ | Amid protest, Aligarh Muslim University agrees to hold student union election after 8 yearsAn administration official said, “… (We) conduct subject association elections in every department. The law and order situation will not be good if students’ union elections are held.”Mohd Jasim Khan, a postgraduate student of International Studies at the India-Arab Cultural Centre; Ebin Basil, a BA LLB (Hons) student at the Faculty of Law; Najmul, a third-year BTech student; Rehaan Haider, pursuing an MA in Social Work; and Faizan Ali Khan, who is an MA Gender Studies first-year student began their hunger strike on October 12.Last week, the Aligarh Muslim University administration officially restored the students’ union elections through a formal notification on October 9, after students led an indefinite fast. This has been the primary trigger for the ongoing indefinite hunger strike in Jamia, students said. “… AMU has started the process of restoring student union elections, and universities like Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University also hold student elections. Jamia is surrounded by these institutions, so the question is if student union elections can take place there, why can’t they happen at Jamia?” said Faizan, who is also President of the National Students’ Union of India at Jamia. Story continues below this ad“Students deserve representation and a democratic platform to raise their concerns,” he said, adding that they have submitted a memorandum to the administration.Ebin Basil explained, “Our primary demand is the establishment of a democratically elected students’ union at Jamia to ensure students’ representation, rights, and participation in campus decision-making.” Jamia’s last students’ union elections were held in 2005. The university dissolved the elected body on March 31, 2006, amid allegations of campus violence and disruption. The administration also claimed student representatives had begun interfering in administrative matters and that union activities were affecting the academic environment.In subsequent years, the university favoured departmental-level representation over a university-wide elected union.Story continues below this adIn 2012, then Vice-Chancellor Najeeb Jung ruled out holding union elections that academic session, citing the university’s past experiences. He proposed strengthening subject associations in individual faculties instead.In its Self-Study Report submitted to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the university said a subject association was constituted for every programme, with members informally elected by the students concerned.These associations are meant to raise academic and administrative concerns and organise academic and co-curricular activities. However, this arrangement does not provide a single, university-wide elected body representing students across departments and centres.In March 2017, the university also proposed a Jamia Student Council in which class representatives could contest for the main office-bearer positions. The proposal differed from restoring a directly elected students’ union and faced criticism from students.Story continues below this adThe matter was also taken up in courts. In 2012, a petition was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to Jamia to conduct free, fair and peaceful students’ union elections in accordance with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.In 2017, when students renewed their demand for an elected body, the university cited the pending case and legal hurdles as reasons why it could not proceed.On December 20, 2022, the HC disposed of the petition after the university submitted that the students’ union had been dissolved and that the question of holding elections did not arise. The order did not prohibit the university from holding elections in the future.Citing the need for a “democratic restoration” of the students’ union, the protesters urged the university administration to write to Vice-Chancellor Prof Mazhar Asif and direct the conduct of students’ union elections.