A day after a dramatic protest had broken out outside the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus over several issues including the recent hostel fee hike, several students from various institutions in the national Capital on Tuesday raised slogans against the 'commercialisation' of education and the police's intervention in democratic protests. The students alleged that Delhi Police had attacked protesting students brutally.
On Monday, the hostel fee hike, "curfew timings" and dress code proposed by the JNU administration have not gone down well with the students who held a protest in front of the university gate and clashed with police, leaving Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal "Nishank" stranded for over six hours at the venue of the varsity's convocation.
The students wanted to march towards the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), around 3 kilometres from the JNU campus where Vice President Venkaiah Naidu was addressing the university's convocation with HRD Minister at an auditorium, but were stopped a few meters back by the Delhi Police and Central Reserve Police Force. Police lathi-charged the students and used water cannons to disperse them.
On Tuesday, the protesters demanded withdrawal of the draft hostel manual, which they claimed has provisions for fee hike, dress code and curfew timings.
Shreya Singh, the secretary of All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO), said the new hostel manual passed on October 28 will disrupt the financial life of around 50 per cent JNU students who belong to economically weaker sections and depend upon a Rs 2,500 grant under the 'means-cum-merit scheme'.
"The Delhi Police attacked the protesting JNU students. Their intervention in the democratic protest was uncalled for," she said.
Suman from the AIDSO said, "The JNU is one of the few affordable institutions. The provision of fee hike is the most dangerous part...Till now, students would get a bill of Rs 2,500 per month. After the changes, their monthly expenses will increase to Rs 6,000 to 7,000."