The Jawaharlal Nehru Union Students' Union (JNUSU) has appealed to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to prepare a new IHA manual in consultation with all students of the JNU and to reconsider the proposed hike in hostel and other fees as it would prove detrimental to the careers of many students.
"We appeal to you on behalf of the JNU community to endorse our just and rightful demands and prevail upon the MHRD to act and resolve the crisis. The students of JNU cannot survive with the present structure of fees that are sought to be pushed down their throat. We urge you to consider our plight and endorse our demands," read a letter by the JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh to Girish Hosur, Joint Secretary (JS) in the MHRD.
In the letter, the JNUSU alleged that "there has been no fee hike rollback as claimed by the administration and rather than any relief to BPL Students, their misery has been compounded."
"The reality of that rollback is that virtually no fee has come down. The monthly hostel and mess expenses of students are set to rise from Rs 2700 per month on an average to Rs 5500 a month. For the BPL students, the rise is from Rs 2700 to somewhere around Rs 4100. The definition of the BPL with an annual income of Rs 27,000 means that they absolutely cannot afford the fee hike," the letter claimed.
Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali on Monday came out in support of the students and termed the alleged lathi-charge on JNU students who were marching towards the Parliament as a hostile act.
"The centre is dealing very strictly with the students, even when two central ministers are alumni of the university. The university administration through the fee hike is trying to deprive the SC, ST and OBC students of their rights. This is another attempt to privatise the education by the centre," Ali told reports here.
"BSP is with the protesting students and the government will have to accept their demands," he added.
Earlier today, thousands of JNU students had started their protest march towards the Parliament, where they were allegedly thrashed by police personnel and taken to unknown locations after detention. They are demanding complete fee rollback along with other demands.
Students raised slogans and banners against the government. A large number of protestors chanted slogans like, "Halla Bol" and "Dekhna hai zor kitna bazue katil mein hai".
The Delhi Police has, on the other hand, refuted all charges of lathi-charge, or use of water cannons and tear gas shells on the protesting students by its personnel.
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