Students block traffic

Punjab Students Union state leader and JAC member Raminder Pop in a press release said that according to reports received here about 85,000 students in over 60 affiliated colleges of Punjabi University observed complete strike in a massive show of solidarity on the issue of fee hike.

Students of Government Mohindra College, Multani Mal Modi Degree College, Government Bikram College of Commerce, Physical College of Education, Government College for Girls, Khalsa College and the Industrial Training Institute observed a strike and assembled in the Polo Grounds where they held a rally. After the rally, the students blocked traffic for about 15 minutes at Fountain Chowk disrupting the movement of traffic on The Mall.

Later, they marched in a procession to the office of the DeputyCommissioner where they held a rally.

which was also addressed by Malvinder Singh Jalan of the Bhartiya Kisan Union who extended support to the student demand for immediate withdrawal of the increase in fee.

The students submitted a memorandum to the district authorities for onward transmission to the Chief Minister, Assistant Commissioner Amrit Gill receivced the memorandum from the students wherein the students demanded that the hike in fee be withdrawn, allocation of at least 10 per cent of the total budget for education, and withdrawal of the letter issued by the VC of Punjabi University warning of disciplinary acion action against students.

Meanwhile, on the university campus, the students observed strike and held a rally outside the office of the VC, said Harpal Singh Cheema, president of the Punjabi University unit of the Student Federation Federation of India.