The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has arbitrarily increased the fees for undergraduate, postgraduate, and other academic programmes by 36 percent. In protest, students held a demonstration on Tuesday, August 5, by blocking the Baab-e-Syed gate, the main entrance to the campus.
“We are demanding our rights, not begging from anyone. Have some shame, administration!” angry students yelled demanding immediate rollback.
When authorities tried to forcefully remove them, they shouted, “Sharam karo, sharam karo, proctor team sharam karo (Shame on you, proctor team),” “Band karo, band karo, badtameezi band karo (Stop this misbehaviour).”
A female student was allegedly injured when the protestors were forced to leave.
One student alleged the fee was hiked without prior notice. “When the registration portal opened, that’s when we realised the fee had been increased,” student Sabiya was quoted by Maktoob Media.
She questioned the college administration if students from weaker sections of society were kept in mind when the decision was made. “They are claiming they hiked the minimum, but seriously, is 36 percent considered the minimum? They know very well that the majority of students here come from poor backgrounds. How can they expect everyone to suddenly afford a one-time hike of 36 percent?,” she lashed out.
The protest continued till midnight.
Meanwhile, AMU released a statement justifying the fee hike blaming “rising costs” and the “need to sustain.”
“The college decided to go forward after holding a comprehensive review of essential services and resources aimed at enhancing student welfare, The revised fee will help in infrastructure development, health services, hall amenities, Sir Syed Day functions, maintenance of common rooms, and resident charges,” the statement read.
