2nd lathicharge in 40 days on JNU students by Delhi Police

JNU

The Delhi police has come down heavily on the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) once again as they were marching towards Rashtrapati Bhavan to register their protest against the almost 300% fee hike imposed on them by the Inter Hall Administration.

This is the 42^nd day of the JNU agitation against the fee hike.

Reports say that at first the students weren’t allowed to march towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan, but after negotiations with Delhi police officials, the students were given a designated place outside Sarojini Nagar to hold their dharna.

The police resorted to lathi charge when protesting students tried to cross the Bhikaji Cama Place metro station that had been cordoned off by the police, when they tried to take a different route to Sarojini Nagar. Speaking to media channels, student leader Aishe Ghosh said that the police have singled out students and detained them after the lathi charge in which many students have been grievously injured.

#Live | The national capital witness massive drama after @DelhIPolice lathi charge at the students of JNU who protest against the fee hike in the campus.
TIMES NOW’s Waji & Kangana with ground details. Listen in. pic.twitter.com/jvqi7CcALH
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) December 9, 2019

The students have been on a month-long protest against the fee hike which the university has refused to roll back. The university had offered a peace making gesture in the garb of an amendment, but students claim that the move was simply an eyewash to take away the attention from their protest.

Shame on you Delhi Police
Once again @DelhiPolice lathy charged peacefully marching JNU students
Education is our constitutional Right. We will not go back an inch until you withdraw the draconian IHA manual#JNUProtests #JNU pic.twitter.com/fAhFkQy3Xz
— Vishnu Prazad (@Vishnu_Prazad) December 9, 2019

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) had earlier written to the President Ram Nath Kovind demanding an immediate rollback of the fee hike, the resignation of the Vice Chancellor and the withdrawal of all police cases lodged against the students.

On Monday morning, December 9, the police had increased security around JNU and appealed to the students to not resort to violence. Entry and exit points of the Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg and Central Secretariat Metro stations were also closed over concerns that the students may use the intra-city rail system to make their way to Rashtrapati Bhawan, reported NDTV.

JNUSU President N Sai Balaji who has been detained along with some other students has accused the administration of lying that the students had boycotted their exams. He has asked why the administration is not revoking the fee hike. He also said nobody from the MHRD or the university has come forward to discuss the issue.

There is heavy police presence at the site and while some students have been dispersed, most of them have been illegally detained and taken to separate police stations so that they can’t gather back and stage a protest.

This is the second time in the last forty days that the students have endured a lathi charge by the police. The first time around too there had been several casualties and students had accused the police of manhandling and assaulting them.

Currently, there is a standoff situation between the students and the police with the students that their detained fellow mates be immediately brought back to wherever they were taken.

The JNU and other public funded universities have been a haven for children from economically backward sections of society. The students have been unrelenting in their quest for affordable education, especially because the fee hike was an autonomous decision of the university and it didn’t take the opinion of the main stakeholders – the students’ view into account. Since the protests have erupted, the Vice Chancellor Mamidala has refused to meet with the students and listen to their demands.

The students had started on a peaceful march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to make their pleas heard to the President against the draconian IHA manual which they saw as a last resort after the concerned authorities had shown indifference to their plight. There has been no decision made on the rollback yet. However, it is to be seen whether or not the second atrocious attack of the police will dampen their spirit and tire them out in their fight against the system.