Student protests have been ongoing at Allahabad University against the fee hike and on Wednesday, September 21, Vice-Chancellor Sangita Srivastava stated that their complaint was "misdirected". She also promised that the entire fees of those coming from poor backgrounds and those orphaned due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be waived off.
Students have been protesting against an alleged 400-times fee hike at the university.
From the Vice-Chancellor's desk
The Vice-Chancellor's message was shared on the university's official Twitter handle (@UoA_Official) on September 21 at 9.32 pm.
It stated that the fee per student annually for the past several decades was Rs 975 which comes to Rs 81 per month. The university fee has been enhanced to Rs 4,151 per year — Rs 333 per month, she said.
The process has gone through rigorous deliberation and decision-making at several levels — the Finance Committee, Academic Council and Executive Council — informs the message.
"What is being spread is that there is a 400-times increase which is not correct. The 30-40 students who have chosen to disrupt the campus by falsehood are trying to ruin the academic environment of Allahabad University. The complaint of the students is misdirected," the message read.
It further states, "Those who are so poor and are orphaned in Covid, I am giving my word, the university shall waive the entire fee for them."
What are student leaders saying?
Some protesting students claimed that the district administration is threatening to run bulldozers over their houses to end their agitation.
Akhilesh Yadav, Vice-President of the varsity's student union, told reporters, "The district administration is threatening to demolish (our) houses by sending a team of Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) to end the movement."
Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha leader Ajay Yadav Samrat said, "Today is the 16th day of the agitation against the fee hike. The university administration is constantly threatening to cancel our degrees."
At the same time, PDA team is being sent to the homes of students and family members are being asked to call back the protesting students, otherwise our houses will be demolished, he shared.
He said, "The police is threatening the agitating students to end their stir, and telling them that they will be sent to jail under the Gangster Act. Hurt by these things, I and four other comrades, leading this movement, are going to sit on hunger strike from today."
