Aligarh Muslim University has agreed to hold its student union elections after a gap of eight years and remove its proctor, ending a protest by students that had run for nearly 20 days. The election will be held on November 5, the university announced after a meeting with protesting students on Friday.

As part of the agreement, proctor Prof Mohammad Naveed Khan has been replaced by Prof Nafees Ahmad Ansari, chairperson of the Department of Political Science. The announcement was met with celebrations on campus — students burst firecrackers, carried out victory processions and raised slogans.

How the protest ended

The protest began on September 21, when a group of students started an agitation inside the campus demanding that the union election be held. The same day, MA student Yasir Fahad went on hunger strike; more students joined the cause in the following days, former students visited the campus to show support, and several rounds of talks were held between the administration and a students’ delegation.

With the announcement, the protest has formally ended. Vice-Chancellor Professor Naima Khatoon visited the protest site and offered Yasir Fahad a glass of juice, formally bringing his fast to an end. “With the announcement of the elections and the removal of the proctor, we have brought to an end our protest which has been going on since September 21,” said postgraduate student Abu Maaz, one of the protest leaders. “We will be the first university in the state to hold a student union election after such a long gap.”

Why the proctor was removed

Asked why students wanted Prof Naveed Khan removed as proctor, Abu Maaz said they were dissatisfied with his functioning, alleging he often acted against students’ interests and used various tactics to pressure them into calling off the protest.

Huzaifa Aamir Rashadi, the outgoing secretary of the AMU Students’ Union who visited the campus to back the protesting students, welcomed the decision. “This announcement is a victory for the university’s students,” he said.

Election schedule announced

The university has also released the election schedule for the 2026-2027 academic session. Prof Javaid Talib of the Department of Law has been appointed chief election officer for the AMU Students’ Union elections, while Prof Nazia Hasan of the Department of English at Women’s College will oversee the elections to the Undergraduate Students’ Union of Women’s College. Candidates can file nomination papers at the AMUSU Office on October 29, and counting of votes will be held on polling day.