A mob attack in JNU on January 5 left over 30 injured
Human Resources Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Monday said the hostel fee hike issue in Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University has been resolved and any continuation of protest by students is not justified.
Mr Nishank said utility and service charge are not being levied and will be borne by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The students have, however, stuck to their demand for a complete rollback of the fee hike.
"The fee-related matter of JNU has been sorted out following several rounds of discussions with representatives of university students and teachers. The Ministry had constituted a High-Powered Committee (HPC) to restore the normal functioning of JNU through dialogue with all stakeholders and to advise the university administration for resolution of contentious issues," Mr Nishank said in a statement, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
"The students are not being asked to bear the cost of service and utility charges proposed for the winter session, which was their basic demand. Therefore, the JNU fee hike issue stands resolved and continuation of agitation by the students is no longer justified," he said, adding that over 5,000 or 8,500 students in JNU have registered for the next semester.
"Various meetings were held by HRD secretary with representatives of students, teachers and JNU administration on December 10-11, 2019, certain mutually agreeable agreements were arrived (at). As agreed in the meetings, the revised hostel room charges will remain applicable with 50 per cent concession for BPL students," Mr Nishank said.
Earlier in the day, a five-member delegation of JNU Teachers' Association met with HRD Ministry officials. "We do not feel secure on campus. The atmosphere is not conducive for academic activities. Students who left the campus after violence are scared to return. How can we resume teaching?" association chief DK Lobiyal told the ministry officials, PTI reported.
The Delhi Police on Monday questioned three JNU students, including JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, who was injured in a mob attack on January 5.
With inputs from PTI