MAJOR PROTESTS AGAINST FEES HIKE AT ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY

Students protesting the tuition increase at Allahabad University gheraoed the Dean of students' Welfare on Wednesday and warned that if the rise is not reversed, they will start a larger demonstration on Monday.

The agitation's leader, Ajay Yadav Samrat, said that attempts to reach an agreement with the university's administration through the district administration's assistance failed.

He said that the university management was not making any decisions that would benefit students and that they would keep up their protests until the astronomical "300% fee rise" was reversed.

Adarsh Singh Bhadauria, a member of the National Students' Union of India, said that students were prepared to take their own lives in protest of the tuition increase, but the university administration stood fast in its refusal to reverse the increase.

ABVP state convener (sports activity) Kartikeya Pati Tripathi said, "Our fight is with the dictatorial vice-chancellor of Allahabad University because their decision (fee hike) is tarnishing the image of the central and the state government."

For undergraduate programmes, the university's annual fees were Rs 975, but they were increased by more than 300 per cent to Rs 4,151, and students have been protesting this increase for the past 36 days.