JNU students protest against fee hike, police use water canons

While the third convocation ceremony of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was underway, hundreds of students gathered outside the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) auditorium, the venue of the event, to protest fee hike, curfew timings and dress code restrictions in the institute.

The gates of the AICTE, around 3 km from the JNU, were locked and security personnel were stationed in and outside the premises in wake of the protests that started in the morning. Students later reached the convocation area around 11.30 am.

The students' union had called for a boycott of the convocation and demanded the roll back of the hostel draft manual and fee hike proposed by the administration.

According to a senior officer, the students broke barricades and marched towards the auditorium. Some of the protesters have been detained. The police also used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

In its latest orders, the JNU administration massively hiked the hostel, mess and security fee by around 400 per cent. It also limited the hostel timings.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' was inside the AICTE auditorium since morning as protests by JNU students escalated, officials said.

'Nishank' along with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu had gone to the AICTE to attend the JNU's third convocation. While Naidu left the premises before the protest escalated, Nishank had to stay inside for hours.

"He is inside. But the situation has been handled. The minister has spoken to JNUSU president and assured their demands will be addressed," a senior HRD Ministry official said.

The minister had to cancel two events at Shastri Bhawan scheduled after the convocation, the officials said.

The protesting students alleged that the varsity administration had put barricades at its entry gate and also deployed CRPF personnel.

Sharing photographs of the blocked entry gates, former JNUSU President, N. Sai Balaji wrote, "Barricades at Ambience Mall gate and CRPF deployed."

No statement on the deployment of CRPF in the campus has been made by the JNU administration as of now.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Delhi Police, comprising Special Commissioner of Police (headquarters) R.S. Krishnia and DCP (Central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa on Monday reached the JNU campus.

The police officials are expected to hold a mediation meeting between students and Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, which is the demand of the agitating students.