Jamia students climb gates, join protest amid heavy police deployment

Students protest outside and inside Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi on October 25, 2026

A day after attempts were made to forcibly remove protesting students at Jamia Millia Islamia university, students gathered around the campus and tried to enter by climbing the gates on Sunday (October 25, 2026). With classes suspended, water facilities on the campus were cut off and no entry or exit was allowed. Amid heavy police deployment, students still gathered in large numbers and staged a protest.

On Saturday (October 23), security personnel, teaching and non-teaching staff attempted to remove the students protesting since October 11 for restoration of their students’ union. The tent was uprooted from the lawn inside gate no. 7, campus electricity and water facilities suspended, gates and libraries closed and all classes announced to be conducted online until further notice.

Following this, students gathered in large numbers and stayed through the night, singing songs, raising slogans and demanding the restoration of JMISU. On Sunday (October 25), a similar scenario was observed, with heavy CRPF and Delhi Police personnel guarding the entry gates and dispersing the students who were trying to enter.

“We have been trying to go inside the campus but the security personnel are not allowing us. They have barricaded gate no. 7 and no entry is allowed from other gates as well. In the afternoon, some students from the hostel tried to access the health centre from gate no. 4 but were not allowed,” said Md. Zubair, a second year Bachelor’s student.

With entry and exit banned, students inside the campus were unable to access filtered water, had to rely on friends to get water for them. Some students wanting to join the protest also climbed gates and entered. Delhi Police personnel stopped many students from entering by pulling and physically handling them. Some students were also detained.

Around 1:00 p.m., the Vice-Chancellor, along with administration and other staff, visited the campus, inspected the gates and security arrangements and left without interacting with the students. “We have been demanding a dialogue with the V-C and the Chief Proctor on the restoration of JMISU that has been non-existent since 2006. After inviting students for a dialogue, the V-C used force to remove us and end our protest,” alleged Habeeba, one of the students removed from the hostel.

Students were informally being told to vacate the hostel on account of online classes and upcoming festivals. “The campus has moved online. There is no reason for anyone to stay on campus. They are also being asked to vacate informally as it is the festive season and parents like to see them at home,” an official from the Jamia administration said.

“Dialogue has been happening since day one. On Saturday (October 24), the entire Jamia, including professors, the administration and even the non-teaching staff, went to meet the students, but they did not want to end their protest,” the official said. On being asked why the students were forcibly removed, the official said, “If they had been removed, they would not have been there still.”

Responding to water facilities being suspended, the official said that since the campus was moved online, there was no question for students or anyone else to access these facilities. “The staff is not there. The gates and libraries are closed. The classes are happening online. They have no business being there,” the official said.