Not particularly surprising if you’ve followed AMU campus politics or the broader pattern in certain Indian student unions.

AMU held its Students’ Union elections on 5 November 2026 after an eight-year gap (last ones were in 2018). Students had protested for weeks to restore the union. The campaign quickly moved far beyond hostels, messes, seats, or facilities.​

Presidential candidate Noman Ashraf (PhD History) made Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid a central theme. He argued that neither should be called a “terrorist” while trials had not concluded and no verdict had been delivered, framing them as political prisoners. He also expressed solidarity with people in Palestine, Iran, and Sudan, invoking the Ummah-e-Muslima (“my heart beats for you… the Ummah stands with you”) and using Islamic imagery such as the Ababeels.​

Another candidate, Mohd Intkhab, demanded the release of Azam Khan and warned that AMU students would “stand like a rock” if action was taken against Jauhar University. Reports from India Today, local papers, and campaign coverage note that Gaza/Palestine, Iran, Sudan, CAA-NRC-related figures, and these names featured more prominently than routine campus issues.​

This fits a long-standing pattern at AMU (and places like JNU or Jamia): student elections often become platforms for national and international political messaging, identity-based solidarity, and selective invocation of constitutional rights—while campus-specific grievances take a back seat. Sharjeel Imam himself has spoken at AMU in the past, and pro-Imam/Khalid slogans or graffiti have appeared on other campuses. For observers who track this, the 2026 campaign looked more like continuity than a shock.