A teachers’ delegation, headed by the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences approached the students on protest to facilitate discussions with the Vice-Chancellor (VC) regarding the students’ demands.
The delegation initially approached a few students to arrange a meeting, following which a delegation of student representatives met with the teachers. During the negotiations, the teachers asked us to submit our core demands to be forwarded to the VC for their finalisation. We were assured that a meeting with the VC would be arranged in the evening. We reiterated that our primary and foremost demand was that the Students’ Union Constitution be drafted and approved by 20 December, with the election date announced within 15 days of its approval and the entire election process concluded by 5 February. The teachers had already agreed to our second demand of ensuring no disciplinary actions and assured us that it would be fulfilled. However, they continued to insist that our primary demand be negotiated. We categorically rejected this and maintained that the timeline was non-negotiable, and even asked them to provide a concrete alternative timeline. Despite waiting with the hope of a direct meeting with the VC, the teachers’ delegation returned at around 6:30 pm and reiterated the same compromised and manipulated notice issued on 26 October 2026, which we had already rejected. They argued that drafting and approving the Constitution would require more time and that no fixed timeline could be committed to. The initial promise of a direct meeting with the VC was not honoured, and our demand for a concrete timeline remained unaddressed.
After hours of discussions, when we refused to back down, the delegation resorted to emotional pressure, citing the health of the hunger strikers and possibility of police crackdown. However, we remained firm on our demand for a definite timeline. Seeing that we would not be intimidated into compromising, the delegation left, once again promising to arrange a meeting with the VC. We waited throughout the night but received no response. Subsequently, we were informed over the phone that the administration was willing to complete the draft Constitution by 20 December, approve it within 20 days of drafting, and announce the election date within another 15 days of approval. However, this was offered only as a verbal assurance, without any written commitment. We were told that if we accepted these terms, the Registrar would come to meet us. As we attempted to discuss this proposal, the negotiations were abruptly called off under the pretext of concerns regarding hostellers. The administration also attempted to shift the responsibility for maintaining law and order onto us, despite this being the responsibility of the authorities. This justification is entirely baseless, and only an excuse to delay the process even further.
Throughout the process, we continued to insist on the direct meeting with the VC that had initially been offered to us. The administration has still not responded to this demand, choosing instead to threaten us with a crackdown. We will not back down. These threats reflect the administration’s fear of our unity and determination. We will not accept vague assurances or attempts to intimidate us into surrendering our legitimate and democratic demands. Our demand for a fixed and binding timeline for the Students’ Union Constitution and elections remains non-negotiable. Hence, the hunger strike and sit-in protest shall continue until and unless our demands are met. AIDSO AISA AIRSO DISHA DISSC Fraternity Movement MSF SFI SIO and United Students of Jamia
