Students at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi refused to end their hunger strike on Saturday, 24 October, even after Registrar Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi personally assured them that elections to the Jamia Millia Islamia Students' Union (JMISU) would be held once a draft constitution was submitted by a students' committee. The protest, now in its 13th consecutive day, has prompted the university to shift all classes to online mode with immediate effect.

What the Registrar Offered

Rizvi said he held a face-to-face meeting with the hunger strikers lasting 20–25 minutes. He told reporters: 'I told them, “You yourselves have said that you will prepare the draft constitution, and members of your committee will also be included. Once you submit the draft, we will announce the elections.”'

On the students' demand for a firm deadline, the Registrar said the university's position was clear: the sooner the students' committee submitted the draft constitution, the sooner elections would be announced. He also addressed a second core demand — disciplinary action taken against certain students — stating that such cases would be referred to the Disciplinary Committee and that action would be revoked for those found innocent.

Students Hold Firm, Reject Assurances

Despite the twin commitments — on elections and on disciplinary review — the protesting students declined to suspend the strike. The agitation centres on two demands: restoration of the JMISU, which has remained defunct, and the removal of the university's Chief Proctor, whom students accuse of orchestrating a crackdown on protesters.

Notably, Rizvi claimed that non-students entered the campus through a back gate during the standoff, swelling the crowd beyond the actual student body. 'After that, people who were not students of the university illegally entered from the back gate, due to which the crowd swelled — otherwise the number of students was less,' he said.

'Free Kashmir' Graffiti Draws Condemnation

The Registrar separately condemned graffiti bearing the words 'Free Kashmir' that appeared on university walls during the agitation. 'Such acts won't be supported at any cost,' Rizvi said, distancing the administration from the sloganeering. The graffiti is likely to intensify political scrutiny of the protests beyond the campus.

Classes Shifted Online as Precautionary Measure

Earlier on Saturday, Jamia Millia Islamia announced that all courses across the university would move to online mode 'with immediate effect until further notice.' The university stated the decision was taken 'in view of the ongoing situation and in order to ensure the safety and security of bonafide students in the University campus,' according to an official statement from the Competent Authority.

This is the most significant administrative response from the university since the protests began, signalling that the administration views the situation as serious enough to disrupt normal academic functioning. With both sides holding their positions, a resolution appears unlikely in the near term unless either the students submit the draft constitution or the administration makes a more concrete, time-bound commitment.