Fee hike in AU: Protests continue, ‘V-C Missing’ posters go up

NSUI president Neeraj Kundan arrived on the campus on Wednesday to extend support to the protesting students

The ongoing protests at the Allahabad University (AU) received further support from the Congress party, when Neeraj Kundan, president, National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of Congress, arrived on the campus on Wednesday to extend support to the protesting students.

Students protesting at AU against the fee hike on Wednesday. (HT Photo)

Earlier, AICC general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi, again raised the issue of the increase in fee at AU by tweeting about it. Paying homage to Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted: “The protesting students of AU have been inspired by the sacrifice of Bhagat Singh when they say that how can students coming from modest backgrounds afford this fee hike”.

Kundan arrived at the AU union hall and while addressing students said, “First of all, I am also a student and the Modi government does not want the children of the poor and underprivileged to join mainstream society and it is continuously commercialising education. In this era, you (protestors) are fighting this government like a strong opposition and you should be congratulated for it.”

NSUI state president and former vice-president of AU students union, Akhilesh Yadav, who is also sitting on a fast on the issue, appealed to students and said, “We have to save our energy as we have to fight this battle even more strongly and have to carry forward this movement in a non-violent manner”.

Meanwhile, the state general secretary of NSUI, Ajay Pandey, suddenly fell ill on the eighth day of his fast-unto-death on the issue and had to be admitted to Tej Bahadur Sapru (Beli) Hospital.

Women students of AU too have extended support to the protests against the fee hike. Under the leadership of former student union president Richa Singh, women students visited different classes and made students aware of the issue and also took out a march on the campus. At the union hall, Richa Singh said, “Now we are also with our brothers in this fight, if anything happens to them, then we will take the front and will shake the university administration”.

Some protesting students also pasted a poster in and around the AU campus which mentioned that V-C, Prof Sangita Srivastava is missing and students of AU would be highly obliged to whosoever provides information about her.