College students protest against fee hike in Karnal

KARNAL: Various student organisations on Tuesday held a protest against the college fee hike in Karnal . The protesters locked the gate of Pandit Chiranji Lal Sharma Government PG College in Sector 14, Karnal. A police team reached the spot and pacified the students and opened the gate.


Members of the student outfits reached the Karnal mini secretariat and handed over a memorandum to block development & panchayat office (BDPO), addressed to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar , and demanded rollback of the fee hike.

Rahul Tomar, Karnal chief of Indian National Students Organisation (INSO), said, “We wrote to the CM several times regarding the fee hike, but he makes only hollow promises. If this time too our demands go unfulfilled, we will protest outside the CM’s residence very soon.”

He said various colleges of the state have increased the fees by almost 70% for this academic session. Compared with the previous year, the fee has almost been doubled, he said. For example, a student paid Rs 3,500 for a semester last year, he has to pay Rs 6,000 for the new academic session, added Tomar.

The Karnal unit president of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Aman Pannu said, “INSO, NSUI and Students Federation of India (SFI) have come together to fight with the government for students’ rights.

Aman Joshi, a student leader, said if the government did not fulfil their demand, they would call a state-level strike. He said they would be forced to come out on the street for their rights. “The move will deprive many from lower-middle class and poor families of education,” he said.

“The government should increase the seats instead of hiking the fee so that everyone can continue their education,” said Ritu, a student of Kurukshetra University .