Magazine
Live TV
SIGN IN
Dark Mode
Edition
IN
NewsIndiaJNU protest: Cops chase away protesters as JNU officials gear up to meet HRD secretary

JNU protest: Cops chase away protesters as JNU officials gear up to meet HRD secretary

After repeated attempts to pacify protesting students, police chased them away from the area near Safdarjung Tomb.

Listen to Story

Live TV
Share
Advertisement
JNU protest: Cops chase away protesters as JNU officials gear up to meet HRD secretary
Delhi Police chase away agitating JNU students from the road near Safdarjung Tomb. (Photo: PTI)
India Today Web Desk
India Today Web Desk
New Delhi,UPDATED: Apr 5, 2022 19:05 IST

Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday staged a massive protest to demand rollback of hostel fee hike. The students, led by JNU Students' Union (JNUSU), planned a protest march to the parliament, but their attempt was thwarted by police intervention.

Hundreds of students who participated in the protest were detained along with the JNUSU chief. They were later released after a day of high drama in the national capital.

advertisement

As the situation stands, police have managed to remove the protesters from Safdarjung Tomb, where they blocked roads causing major traffic disruptions. A few metro rail services, which were halted due to the protests, have also been reopened and traffic flow is much smoother.

After today's protest, JNU president and vice-chancellor have decided to meet with the HRD secretary to take a call on hostel fee hike.

Here are the updates from protest march of JNU students:

8:50 pm: All protesting students detained by Delhi Police have been released.

8:47 pm: All closed metro station gates have been opened and normal services have been resumed.

8:15 pm: Delhi Police has issued a fresh statement on how its personnel engaged with protesting students. It said the police department acted with restraint and only resorted to methods of persuasion.

"Today morning, a large number of students gathered at Jawahar Lal Nehru University to march towards the Parliament, even though they had been persuaded by Delhi Police not to do so violating the general orders. However, irrespective of police appeals, they forced their way through by breaking the first line of police barricades. Senior police officers present at the spot further persuaded them not to continue any further march, since a high-powered committee had already been constituted to look into their demands," the statement said.

"The Delhi Police staff acted with restraint all along and despite continued defiance by some groups of students, methods of persuasion were resorted to, and there was no use of water cannons, tear gas shells or lathi-charge at any stage of the protest," it added.

"After protracted persuasive tactics and the general approach of physical containment by Police, students mostly seemed convinced, but a group of them suddenly broke away and somehow managed to proceed towards the New Delhi area through the Aurobindo Marg."

8:06 pm: About 100 JNU students were detained earlier in the day while protesting. Some were injured in lathicharge by police but they have made it clear that protests will not stop unless hostel fee is rolled back. Read full story

advertisement

7:39 pm: Some JNU professors had also joined the students' protest demanding rollback of hostel fees.

7:32 pm: After repeated attempts to pacify protesting students, police chased them away from the area near Safdarjung Tomb.

7:15 pm: Traffic affected as JNU students continue to protest on the road, blocking traffic. Some cars and buses had to turn back as well.

7:13 pm: The V-P and president of JNU will be meeting HRD secretary today as students continue with the protest over fee hike.

6:16 pm: Only Jor Bagh and Lok Kalyan Marg metro stations temporarily closed. Services have been restored on the rest three metro stations.

6:11 pm: Now, Jor Bagh metro station's entry and exit gates have been closed and trains will not be halting there. In total, five stations -- Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg and Jor Bagh -- have been temporarily closed.

advertisement

6:04 pm: Delhi Police has now agreed to release more than 50 students who were detained earlier in the day.

5:33 pm: Delhi Police has told JNU students that they can get their delegation to meet the HRD ministry but students are yet to respond. Students had earlier demanded the release of detained students.

5:21 pm: Some footage of the clash between Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and police from earlier in the day.

4:56 pm: Traffic hit as students refuse to clear the road near Safdarjung Tomb. Vehicles on Nelson Mandela Marg, Aurobindo Marg and Baba Gang Nath Marg are heading at a snail's pace, reported news agency PTI.

4:53 pm: Reports indicate that police lathicharged students protesting near Safdarjung Tomb. However, the students are refusing to move from the road. The students have demanded the release of detained students including JNUSU chief.

4:45 pm: Traffic affected in several areas of Delhi due to the demonstration of JNU students. Moti Bagh, Hyatt Hotel, AIIMS Safdarjung Road and Aurobindo Marg are witnessing heavy traffic. Meanwhile, heavy police force deployment has been spotted near the Boat Club. Additional police also deployed in Krishna Menon Marg and Rajaji Marg to prevent protesting JNU students from marching towards parliament.

advertisement

4:39 pm: Mandeep S Randhawa, Delhi Police PRO, has said that the Delhi Police are trying to talk to the protesting students and convince them to not take the law into their hands. "We are trying to talk to the students about their demands and convince them to not take law in their hands. Regarding the allegation of laathi charge, we will inquire into it," he said.

4:36 pm: Some JNU students have been detained by the Delhi Police. According to the reports, entry, and exit to Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat have been closed in view of the JNU students' protests. The trains are not halting at Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg and Patel Chowk.

4:19 pm: After the protest march was stopped by police near Safdarjung Tomb, JNU students have started protesting there.

4:16 pm: Massive force deployment near parliament after JNU students resumed their march. However, the students have been stopped again near Safdarjung Tomb.

4:07 pm: JNU students, who resumed their march towards parliament, have been stopped again by police near Safdarjung Tomb.

4:00 pm: Reports have indicated that authorities have closed entry and exit gates at three Delhi Metro stations located near the parliament. The three metro stations that have been closed temporarily are Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk, and Central Secretariat.

3:46 pm: Hundreds of protesting JNU students continue to march towards Parliament even as police detained several agitators including the JNUSU chief. Here is a picture of the protesting students near Safdarjung Tomb.

2.04 pm: JNU students speak

Akshat, a JNU student told news agency PTI, "The students' union has not been informed by the ministry about the formation of a panel. The administration's officials and the panel should speak to the elected union to solve the issue."

"We are being given a lollipop in terms of the partial rollback. I am the first from my family to reach university. There are many others like me. Education is not the birthright of a privileged few," Priyanka, another student, said.

1.55 pm: Not even during Emergency: Sitaram Yechury on police blocking protest march

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury took to Twitter and said such a massive deployment of forces was not seen even during the Emergency.

1.46 pm: Police detain students as campus protest spills onto the streets.

1.34 pm: March stopped 1.5 km from JNU

12:30 pm: Face-off between students and cops after march stopped at Ber Sarai

A massive face-off took place between the Delhi Police and protesting JNU students after the march headed towards the Parliament was stopped at Ber Sarai road.

12:01 pm: Police stop Jawaharlal Nehru University students at Ber Sarai road. They have not been allowed to march towards the Parliament.

The Delhi Police have stopped the protest march by JNU students at Ber Sarai road, they have not been allowed to march towards the Parliament. The students are demanding a complete rollback of fee, along with other demands.

12.09 pm: HRD Ministry appoints committee to recommend ways to restore normal functioning of JNU

The HRD Ministry on Monday appointed a three-member committee to recommend ways to restore normal functioning of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), officials said.

The HRD Ministry's committee on JNU will initiate dialogues with students and administration as well as submit recommendations on resolution of all issues, they said.

The varsity's students have been protesting for nearly three weeks against the draft hostel manual, which has provisions for hostel fee hike, dress code and curfew timings.

12.05 pm: Students break barricades, continue march towards Parliament.

11.53 am: March towards Parliament begins.

11.44 am: Amid imposition of Section 144 outisde the JNU campus, the students have started to assemble inside the campus. They are expected to start their protest marech towards the Parliament by noon.

11.09 am: Section 144 imposed outside JNU campus

10.30 am: No permission for protest march: Police

The Delhi Police has said JNU students have not been given permission to carry out the protest march. The police officials have said taking out the protest march without permission will be a crime.

9.32 am: JNU teachers say admn open to talk to elected hostel representatives

A section of JNU teachers on Sunday said the JNU administration was open to dialogue with elected hostel representatives but not with the "non-notified" students' union to end the standoff by students over the hike in hostel fees.

Umesh Kadam, the dean of students, said he has not yet notified the students' union. "The (poll) results are still lying with me in my office in a sealed envelope. The election committee announced the results without taking that sealed envelope from me. How can we notify the students' union when the results are still with me," he said.

"The administration has announced a partial rollback and we are open to dialogue. We are ready to talk to the elected hostel representatives and work out the modalities," he said.

9.08 am: Ahead of protest march to Parliament, the Delhi Police has increased security arrangements around the university campus. Paramilitary force has also been deployed to maintain law and order.

9.05 am: Return to classes, JNU V-C tells protesting students

JNU Vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Sunday urged the protesting students on Sunday to return to their classes as exams are near. In a video message released on the varsity's website, he said he has been getting e-mails from worried parents and students about the situation in the university which is affecting academic activities.

"If we still continue with the strike and cause academic loss, it is going to affect future of thousands of students.

"From tomorrow, a new week will begin and I request the students to come back to the classes and resume your research activities. From December 12, the semester exams will start and if you do not attend classes, it will affect your future goals," Kumar said.

On Sunday, a section of teachers also held a press conference and claimed that a handful of students have terrorised other pupils and are not allowing them to attend classes.

Why are students protesting?

The students of JNU are protesting inside the administration block of the university against the increase in hostel fee. The students were demanding withdrawal of service charges of Rs 1,700 which were introduced from next session and the one-time mess security fee, which is refundable, has been hiked from Rs 5,500 to Rs 12,000.

On November 13, students painted various messages for the vice chancellor inside the administration block as they barged inside the building to talk to him about the hostel fee hike.

Facing an intense agitation for over two weeks, the JNU administration partially rolled back the hostel fee hike for BPL (below poverty line) students not availing any scholarship on November 13, a move that failed to satisfy the protesting students, who dubbed it as an "eyewash" and decided to continue with the strike

Objectionable messages, mostly directed towards right-wing outfits, were found written on the pedestal of a yet-to-be-unveiled statue of Swami Vivekananda at the campus on November 14.

Also read | JNU campus vandalism: Student Union blames V-C, ABVP, says attempts made to malign protests

Also watch | What makes JNU controversy's favorite child

Watch Live TV