JNU Protests: Students' agitation over hostel fee hike brings Delhi to halt

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday continued their agitation against hostel fee hike, bringing Delhi to halt as they forced the closure of metro stations and roads in key areas of the city. 

The students' plan to march to the Parliament was foiled by Delhi Police as they were stopped midway before reaching the high-security zone in Central Delhi following which they sat near Safdarjung Tomb on protest, traffic woes to commuters. 

Over 100 protestors, including JNU Students Union president Aishe Ghosh, Secretary Satish Chandra Yadav were detained but were later allowed to meet the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) officials. 

Ghosh, Yadav, JNUSU vice president Saket Moon and joint secretary Mohd Danish met a senior MHRD official and handed over a memorandum. They were promised that a committee has been formed and their demands will be put forward before that panel. 

"We appeal to you to endorse our just demands and prevail upon MHRD to act and resolve the crisis. JNU students cannot survive with the present structure of fees," the memorandum read. 

Students have been protesting since October 29 by boycotting classes, examinations, demanding the rollback in the hostel fee hike. According to them, the university administration passed the draft hostel manual without holding any consultations with the students' community.

Following protests, the JNU administration last week partially rolled back the fee hike. 

As protesters commenced the march to the Parliament around noon, they were blocked by barricades at the main gate of the campus. As they changed the route, Delhi Police put another barricade to stop them. 

#WATCH: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students protest near Safdarjung Tomb after their march to Parliament was stopped by Police. They are demanding complete fee roll back along with other demands. pic.twitter.com/qstFa3G5SN

— ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2019

They were stopped near Safdarjung Tomb where the students began a sit-in and raised slogans against the government and university administration. 

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said entry and exit gates of Lok Kalyan Marg, Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat were closed temporarily as the services were suspended at these metro stations. 

Road traffic was also affected on several intersections with vehicular movement being affected on Nelson Mandela Marg, Aurobindo Marg and Baba Gang Nath Marg. Africa Avenue Marg from Sarojini Nagar crossing to Chanakyapuri was been closed. 

Later, JNUSU office-bearers were taken by the police to MHRD where he handed over a memorandum to Girish Hosur, Joint Secretary (JS) in the ministry, after holding talks. The student leaders were promised that a committee has been formed and their demands will be put forward before that panel. 

The Ministry has formed a committee under the chairmanship of former UGC chairman Dr Virander Singh Chauhan to find an "amicable solution between agitating students and JNU administration. The committee will hold talks with JNU students and administration and bring out a solution to the problem.