ABVP stages protest in front of PU V-C’s office to press for 16 demands

As per the protesters, the 16 demands for which Friday’s agitation was staged included issues such as strengthening of security system of South Campus, availability of basic facilities like stationery shop and dispensary in South Campus, increase in e-rickshaw facility, resumption of shuttle-bus service in the university campus, opening and allotment of GH-11, filling up of vacant posts of professors, increase in the daily allowance of players, rollback of recent fee hike by the university administration, and a provision of paying fees in installments, among other things.

Amit Punia, president of ABVP’s PU unit as well as the student body’s secretary of the same unit, Shourya Mehra, later issued a joint statement in which they stated that students are facing multiple problems in the university ever since the new academic session had started.

“Due to an arbitrary fee hike of 10 per cent, students are facing have had to shell out more for their studies. Apart from this, many departments are on the brink of shutdown and many others are solely reliant on guest faculties for their functioning as the university has been lax in hiring more faculty members. There is also need to strengthen security on the campus, with women not feeling safe in certain blocks,” the statement read.

After Friday’s protest, the ABVP members submitted a memorandum with their 16-demands to Professor Kashmir Singh, secretary to the vice chancellor, who in turn assured of looking into their demands and discuss it with higher university officials, if needed.