New Delhi: Demanding withdrawal of the draft hostel manual, hundreds of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University protested near the campus Monday morning. Reports say the University authorities in a meeting on October 28, decide to raise the rent for a single-seater room in the hostel from Rs 20 per month to Rs 600. The rent for a double-seater room was also hiked to Rs 300 from Rs 10 per month. The one-time refundable security deposit for the hostel mess was raised from Rs 5,500 to Rs 12,000 and service charges of nearly Rs 1,700 every month was also reportedly introduced.

Protesting against the administration's "anti-students" policy, the students aimed to march towards the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), where Vice President Venkaiah Naidu was addressing the university's convocation at an auditorium.

The gates of the AICTE, around 3 km from the JNU, were locked and the security personnel were stationed in and outside the premises in wake of the protests that started in the morning. The students later reached the convocation area at around 11.30 am.

According to a senior officer, the students broke barricades and marched towards the auditorium. Some of the protesters have been detained.

The students were beating tambourine and raising slogans, with placards in their hands, calling Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar a "thief". "Delhi Police Go Back" slogans were also being raised.

Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal is not being able to come out of the venue and the police are requesting the students to let him go.


"JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh and vice president Saket Moon were asked to talk to the students to make way for the HRD minister. Police requested the protesters to move from the gate, but they refused," an officer said.

Police are now taking the JNUSU office-bearers to meet V-C.

Students want to meet the V-C and demand a withdrawal of the draft hostel manual, which they claimed has provisions for fee hike, dress code and curfew timings.

The protest is part of the agitation against the hostel manual and several other issues like restrictions by the administration on entry to the Parthasarathy Rocks, attempts to lock students' union office, according to the students.

The students' union has been on a strike against the draft hostel manual, which was approved by the inter-hall administration. They have said the strike would not end the hostel manual is withdrawn.

(With additional information from PTI)