Azim Premji University students demand waiver of Rs 8,500 shuttle service charge

The protesting students will be meeting vice chancellor Anurag Behar in the coming days to address the issue and demand a complete waiver of the charges. The students have been displaying placards, tieing their hands and mouths with black cloth, and sitting along the campus corridors as a mark of protest.

Speaking to The Indian Express, a student of APU, who did wish to be named, said, “The shuttle services are used by around 350-380 students of first-year masters degree programme. The services run on five schedules every day. However, it is arbitrary to levy exorbitant charges on the shuttle services. Even those students who have got a 100% scholarship are being asked to pay Rs 8,500 for the services. The overdue shuttle fee amount is also being deducted from the assistantship stipend meant for students.”

According to some students, the shuttle service was introduced in 2022 as a safety measure following incidents of sexual harassment that impacted a few in the past. Underlining that the shuttle service is an integral service, students claimed that the route between the hostel and the campus was ‘unsafe’. Students also alleged that despite some students choosing to walk, the management is forcing them to pay Rs 8,500.

In a manifesto drafted by the students on February 16, the students said, “The University promises on its website that ‘We think everybody should have a chance to study no matter what financial constraints they face.’ However, the administration is forcing current first-year students residing in KGA (in the hostel) to pay for their commute to and from the university.”

The students added, “We are protesting because the management is pressurizing students to work in the university to pay the shuttle fees when there was no mention of shuttle fees on the college website or admission process (application, entrances, interviews, evaluation of financial needs, selection, until the point of signing the acceptance letter.”

The students are demanding a blanket waiver of the shuttle fees and refund fees that have been deducted. Meanwhile, when The Indian Express reached out to APU, the university declined to comment for now.