JNU’S differently abled students protest outside Delhi police HQ
NEW DELHI: Visually challenged students of Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday protested outside the old police headquarters here against the alleged lathicharge by the force on varsity students protesting against hostel fee hike.
Rashmi Sharma, a differentlyabled student, said, “We want a written apology from Delhi police on the lathicharge that they did on a visually challenged student.”
“If the hostel fee hike is implemented, affordable and accessible education will be denied to us. A few days back, police were protesting after they were beaten up by lawyers. How could they forget that students also have a right to protest?” said Manish Chauhan, an Mphil student.
A forum of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s visually challenged students earlier alleged they were not allowed to go to Jai Singh Road towards the new police headquarters to protest. However, members of the JNU
Visually Challenged Students Forum said, their bus was stopped and taken to Vasant Kunj police station. Later, they said their bus was brought to the old police headquarters at ITO.
The forum had condemned the “police lathicharge” on visually challenged students during a protest on Monday over hostel fee hike by the JNU administration and had demanded an apology from the police. Police had denied baton charging the students.
The fresh protest came on the day a meeting was underway between representatives of JNU Students Union and HRD Ministry appointed three-member panel to resolve the issue. “The committee has assured us of positive steps and has also said it can not enforce its observation on the university administration. It has asked for three days to discuss the matter with the university,” said Satish Chandra Yadav, JNUSU General Secretary.