JNU campus stir spills onto streets, students march to Parliament

Protesting against the hostel fee hike, the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday marched towards the Parliament from the varsity campus. Section 144 has been imposed near Parliament in view of the protest march. (Express Photo by Aranya Shankar)

The Winter Session of the Parliament, which began on Monday, will continue till December 13. The JNU students have been protesting for the past three weeks inside the administration block of the university against the increase in hostel fee, even though JNU announced a rollback last Wednesday. (Express Photo by Aranya Shankar)

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) said it will be a march to save public education and appeal to MPs to take up the cause. Last week, Union Minister for Human Resources and Development Ramesh Pokhriyal, who had been invited as the guest of honour to the varsity’s third convocation ceremony, was trapped inside the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) campus for around three hours, after the main gate was blocked by protesting JNU students. (Express Photo by Aranya Shankar)

The bulk of changes were reserved for students falling in the “BPL (below poverty line) category” — according to the JNU administration, they will have to pay 50% of the revised room rent, service charges and utility charges (see box). For everyone else, only the refundable security deposit has been reduced to Rs 5,500 per annum from the Rs 12,000 mentioned in the draft hostel manual. (Express Photo by Aranya Shankar)

Reaching out via a video message to students protesting over the hostel fee hike, JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar Sunday appealed to them to return to their classrooms and research activities from Monday as not doing so will jeopardise their academic goals. (Express Photo by Aranya Shankar)

Several leaders of the agitation were detained by police when they were insisting on marching forward. Initially, the barricades outside JNU's gates were removed and the students were allowed to march. The JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) has expressed their concern over the current situation in the university campus. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

The HRD Ministry appointed a three-member committee to recommend ways to restore normal functioning of the JNU which has been witnessing periodic protests by students over a variety of issues. Akshat, a JNU student said, "The students' union has not been informed by the ministry about the formation of a panel. The administration's officials and the panel should speak to the elected union to solve the issue." (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

"We are being given a lollipop in terms of the partial rollback. I am the first from my family to reach university. There are many others like me. Education is not the birthright of a privileged few," Priyanka, another student, said. Students took out the march carrying banners that read "save public education", "fees must fall" and "ensure affordable hostels for all". Another student, who did not wish to be named, said, "We haven't seen our VC (vice-chancellor) in a long time. It's time that he comes out and talks to us. Instead of appealing to us through teachers and other methods, he should initiate a dialogue with us." (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

JNU student's march to Parliament was stopped near Safdarjung Tomb. Students were lathicharged near Safdarjung Tomb by Delhi police. (Express photo: Praveen Khanna)