Congress raises PU clash over fee hike in Parliament

NEWDELHI:The issue of Panjab University students protesting the fee hike being beaten up by ChandigarhPolicewasraisedintheRajya Sabha on Wednesday, as the governmentsaidithassoughtareport on the matter though it was not a central varsity.

Union human HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Centre has not raised any fee in the Panjab University, which is a separate entity and not a central varsity.

“Panjab University is a separate entity. This is not a central university. We have not raised any fee,” he told Congress members while responding to their protests over the incident.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Javadekar said he has sought all information with regard to the fee hike and those pertaining to financial grants to the university. “This matter pertains to the state government. This is not a central university,” the minister said.

Police had clashed with students on the Panjab University campus on Tuesday as weeklong protests against a 12.5% fee hike turned ugly. Over 60 students were arrested and many of them slapped with sedition and criminal charges, reports said. Students claim that the fee for various courses were hiked from around Rs 5,000 to over Rs 50,000.

During Zero Hour, Chhaya Verma of the Congress raised the issue of fee hikes in Panjab University and an educational institution at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh.