Students protest fee hike, burn effigy of VC

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 27

Student today burned an effigy on the campus against the Senate’s decision to hike the fee of different courses. The university has been under financial crisis due to insufficient funding from the Centre and Punjab government. Last semester, the authorities also doubled the examination fee. The SFS president, Daman Preet, said the authorities have been implementing the agenda of Centre to privatise and commercialise the higher education.

Over 150 students marched from Arts Block 1 to the Student Centre and then burnt the effigy of the Vice-Chancellor. The memorandum will be submitted to the VC on Tuesday to roll back the decision and intensify their struggle till then. Members of the National Student’s Union of India (NSUI) submitted a memorandum to the office of Vice-Chancellor on the steep hike in the fee. Commenting on the university’s decision on fee hike, NSUI state president Gurjot Sandhu said, “As the fee has been hiked by 12.5 per cent, it will jeopardise the future of students from the economically weaker section.” The NSUI demanded a complete rollback in the fee hike and constitution of a committee with department representatives to look into the matter.