Student leaders at Allahabad University (AU) staged a massive protest again on Tuesday over the fee hike decision of AU administration from the forthcoming academic session.
A large number of student leaders assembled at the portico of vice chancellor’s office of the Arts faculty campus and around two dozen of them tried to immolate themselves by pouring kerosene-like liquid from plastic bottles. One of the student leaders even climbed atop the portico of the VC’s office along with an LPG cylinder demanding a roll back of the fee hike and threatened to self-immolate.
Former chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has supported the demand for fee-hike rollback. In her tweet, Mayawati said that she would request the BJP government to consider the demand of the protesting students sympathetically.
Many of the student leaders had already warned the varsity administration that they would be protesting on the campus in support of their demands on Monday evening. On Tuesday, large number of students and student leaders started assembling at the portico of vice chancellor’s office.
One of the student leaders, Ajay Yadav ‘Samrat’, who was addressing the students from the stairs of the portico suddenly pulled out a bottle and started sprinkling kerosene on himself. Instantly, around half a dozen other student leaders, who were also standing near him, started sprinkling kerosene like liquid on themselves from bottles. Many of the student leaders, who were standing at the site, joined the students who were sprinkling kerosene over themselves. In the commotion, the inflammable liquid fell on over around two dozen student leaders.
Subsequently, the police personnel, who were deployed at the site, started spraying water on the student leaders from the water cannons of the fire tender which was positioned at the site.
{{/usCountry}}Subsequently, the police personnel, who were deployed at the site, started spraying water on the student leaders from the water cannons of the fire tender which was positioned at the site.
{{/usCountry}}Those who sprinkled kerosene on themselves included Ajay Yadav Samrat, Chandrashekhar Adhikari, Amit Dwivedi, Rahul Patel, Harendra Yadav, Mubashhir Haroon, Jitendra Raj, Ashfaq, Rahul, Indrajeet Maurya and others.
Meanwhile, one of the student leaders, Aayush Priyadarshi who is a student of final semester of media studies of AU was spotted on the rooftop of the portico of the VC’s office. He was in possession of an LPG cylinder and threatened that if AU administration did not rollback the fee hike decision, he will immolate himself. However, police brought him down safely.
One of the student leader Ajay Yadav Samrat said, “It is shameful that such a large number of students are protesting at the portico of VC’s offices but no one from AU administration, not even Dean Student Welfare (DSW) or the proctor reached the site or tried to talk to protesting students, leave alone accepting their demands.”
AU PRO Prof Jaya Kapoor said, “ The disruption of the academic atmosphere of the university campus is very unfortunate and the agitators should understand why the decision of the fees hike has been taken.”
Along with the group of student leaders, who protested at VC’s office, another group of leaders belonging to Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also protested at the Dean Student welfare office on Tuesday. ABVP was also protesting against the fee hike.