JNU Protests: Students Demand Removal Of VC Jagadesh Kumar, Delegation Meets HRD Officials

The Delhi Police on Thursday took a delegation of JNU teachers and students to meet HRD officials, after they were stopped near Shastri Bhawan during a protest march over the January 5 violence on the university campus. The officer-bearers of JNUSU and JNUTA are expected to discuss the violence that took place in the university on Sunday, the hostel fee hike and removal of the vice-chancellor with the officials of the Human Resources Development Ministry. The police had stopped the march near Central Delhi's Shastri Bhawan.

Earlier, JNU Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said that there had been no deviation from the "formula" arrived at by the HRD Ministry about the fee hike. SDtudents are not being charged any services or utility fees as decided, he said on Thursday.

"As far as the fee issue is concerned, there has been no deviation from the formula arrived at the HRD Ministry last month. As decided, students are not being charged any services or utility fees," Kumar said. "We have also written to UGC to release funds for covering the utility and service charges as decided," he added.

Amid outrage by students over a proposed fee hike, the HRD Ministry had intervened last month and formed a three-member committee to resolve the stand-off between the university and its administration. As per the formula decided, the utility and service charges were supposed to be borne by UGC and not students, who had to pay only the room rent. However, the students have been demanding a complete rollback of the fee hike.