Centre Forms Panel on JNU Fee Hike, Students Say Protests Will Continue Until Complete Rollback

Looking to pacify agitating Jawaharlal Nehru University students ahead of a protest march to the Parliament against the draft hostel rules, the central government on Monday formed a high-powered three-member committee to resolve issues and recommend ways to restore normal functioning of the varsity.

The panel, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry said in a notification, will involve all stakeholders, including students, in the discussions on the way forward. This the first time that the students will be roped in for a dialogue on the issue after massive protests broke out against the new rules, which propose a steep fee hike, a dress code and curfew timings, among other things.

The varsity's students have been protesting for nearly three months against the draft hostel manual and the protests intensified in the last couple of weeks.

The panel will comprise Prof VS Chauhan, former Vice Chairman UGC; Prof Anil Shahsrabudhe Chauhan, chairman of AICTE and Prof Rajnish Jain, Secretary of UGC, the HRD notice stated, entrusting them with the responsibility of submitting recommendations on the actions to be taken.

In a bid to end the protests, the JNU administration had last week 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.

The latest action may also fail to end the protests, with student telling News18 that while they are ready for talks with the government, the demonstrations would continue in the meantime until the draft rules are completely rolled back.

On Monday, thousands of students have gathered in the campus for a march towards the Parliament, timed to coincide with the start of the Winter Session. There is massive troop deployment outside the university and prohibitory orders have also been imposed to stop the march.