The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union on Tuesday held a meeting with the HRD ministry officials and reiterated its demand for a complete rollback of the hostel fee hike and the postponement of exams.

The semester-end examinations are scheduled from December 12 and the students’ union has called for an exam boycott till their demands are met.

Sources said the ministry officials assured the students that they will try to get the exams postponed and also talk to the varsity administration about notifying the students’ union.

The ministry officials held a meeting with the JNU administration too to end the standoff between the administration and the students, the sources said.
The JNU students have been on a strike for over a month now over the hostel fee hike issue.

A hostel draft manual, introduced by the varsity, has become a bone of contention between students and varsity administration since October 28 when the administration didn’t allow the JNUSU to attend the IHA committee meeting that was to clear it.

The students have been protesting for over a month over the steep hike proposed in the hostel fees.

The draft hostel manual proposed to hike hostel charges from Rs 10 for double occupancy to Rs 300, and Rs 600 for single occupancy from the earlier Rs 20.

However, after the student protests, the varsity administration announced a 50 per cent concession for the BPL category students, but it failed to pacify students. The issue is being handled by a high-powered committee of the

Union Ministry of Human Resources Department, which has given its recommendations to the varsity administration after several meetings with students and their representatives.

The HRD Ministry had set up a three-member committee to look into ways to restore normal functioning in the JNU and mediate between the agitating students and the administration.

The panel submitted its report to the ministry but no call has been taken yet.

The Delhi Police on Monday lathi charged the protesting Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, who were marching towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi to press for their demands.