JNU students’ protest brings city to halt

New Delhi, November 18

Office-bearers of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) claimed that they met a senior HRD Ministry official over the hostel fee hike and submitted a memorandum of demands, including for sacking the Vice-Chancellor. There was no official word from the ministry on the meeting.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters camping outside the Safdarjung tomb were allegedly forced by the police personnel to go back to the campus. Earlier in the evening, the police released around 100 students who were detained during the day, including JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh. 

JNUSU vice-president Saket Moon said they met GC Hosur, joint secretary of the HRD Ministry, and submitted a memorandum of demands to him. “We met him and put forth a memorandum of demands. We demanded that the HRD panel must meet the students’ union and till the time the panel is working on the matter, the fee hike must be kept in abeyance. We also demanded the sacking of the Vice-Chancellor,” Moon said. He said the official assured them that the panel would be meeting the students’ union office-bearers on Wednesday.

JNUSU Secretary Satish Chandra Yadav had earlier said a delegation of JNUSU office-bearers was being taken by the police to meet the HRD secretary.

As the four JNUSU members left with police officials, the force asked the protesters, who were camping outside Safdarjung tomb, to return to the university campus and pushed them back.

Students and teachers alleged they were lathicharged and were being forced by the police to leave the spot. Some teachers were also injured in the baton-charge.

Police officials said the crowd was blocking the routes for ambulances of AIIMS and Safdarjung hospital, but denied all allegations of lathicharge. Around 100 JNU students were detained and some were injured when police allegedly baton-charged protestors who were marching towards Parliament. — PTI