JNU stir over hostel fee hike: Delhi students protest against 'brutal police attack' on demonstrators

New Delhi: Scores of students from various institutions in the city on Tuesday protested against the “brutal” police attack on their Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) counterparts who demonstrated outside the AICTE office on Monday in the wake of the steep hike in their hostel fees. [caption id=“attachment_7641461” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Delhi students stage a protest against manhandling of JNU students by police during Monday’s demonstration. PTI[/caption] The protesters raised slogans against the “commercialisation” of education and the police’s intervention in “democratic” protests of students and the fee hike. On Monday, thousands of JNU students clashed with police as their protest over fee hike on the varsity’s convocation day escalated, forcing Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ to stay inside the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) premises for over six hours. 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 28 October will disrupt the financial life of around 50 percent JNU students who belong to economically weaker sections and depend on a Rs 2,500 grant under the means-cum-merit scheme. “The Delhi Police brutally 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.”