The indefinite hunger strike launched by Syed Kaif Hasan, an L.L.M. student at the Faculty of Law, AMU, along with Mohd. Rayyan, a B.A. Economics student, at Bab-e-Syed Gate in protest against the recent fee hike by the AMU administration finally come to an end on August 19.
The protests, which initially demanded a rollback of the alleged upto 62% fee hike, soon expanded to include wider concerns such as the restoration of the Students’ Union, resignation of the proctorial team, and revocation of student suspensions and detentions. With these demands only partially addressed, students continued to boycott classes and organize rallies.
The AMU administration, meanwhile, clarified that the fee hike would not exceed 20% and would be implemented in phases, as decided in a special meeting of the Academic Council on August 14, 2025. Furthermore, as per the office memo dated August 14, the administration agreed to hold Students’ Union elections at an “appropriate time.” Additionally, four proctors resigned following allegations of misbehaviour towards students. Despite these assurances, the demand for a complete rollback remained firm among protestors, with calls for both a full withdrawal of the hike and the resignation of the Chief Proctor.
The movement also drew solidarity from political leaders and student organizations across the country. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi voiced support on X, stating: “Many of AMU’s students come from backward regions and very poor families. A 35%-40% increase in fees is unbearable for them.” The protest site was also visited by Rajya Sabha members Adv. Haris Beeran and Ramji Lal Suman.
The protest ended on August 19 when Vice-Chancellor Naaima Khatoon offered juice to Kaif at Bab-e-Syed Gate, bringing his fast to a close after a meeting between the protestors and the administration. It was agreed and later notified that the AMU Students’ Union elections will be held in the month of December 2025. On the issue of the recent fee hike, the University reiterated that the increase had been capped at 20% for continuing students by the Academic Council, while assuring that no student would be deprived of education due to financial hardship. Financial support will be extended to needy students, particularly those from the economically weaker sections (EWS) of society, with a committee to be constituted shortly to suggest the modalities of such assistance.
