Indian Institute students technology (IIT) Bombay has started a relay hunger strike on Saturday as part of its ongoing protest against the recent fee hike. The administration claimed that the demonstration was unnecessary as talks with the students had already begun and the tuition hike was justified. Meanwhile, students have complained that the administration has threatened and discouraged them from protesting.
Due to reunification convocations on campus for batches who missed graduation and traditional convocations during the pandemic, the venue for the hunger strike had to be moved twice. Initially, the administration wrote an email to all the students threatening stern action such that if the protest disrupted the event in any way, the hostel access would be removed.
Faculty of @IITBombay And non-teaching staff also show solidarity with our protest against fee hike. They also agree that this huge fee hike is a burden on the students and should be repealed #iitbstudentsagainstfeehike #iitbfacultyagainstfeehike pic.twitter.com/HWeGzdUXnh
– IIT Bombay students against fee hike (@iitbfeehike) 7 August 2022
hunger strike @IITBombay Students leave for 2 days. After the convocation is over we go back to the main building for our protest. #iitbstudentsagaisntfeehike #hikestipendnotfees #for education @ndtv @EduMinOfIndia @dpradhanbjp pic.twitter.com/9HEVH Palok
– IIT Bombay students against fee hike (@iitbfeehike) 7 August 2022
The administration’s decision to hike fees by around 35 per cent, which the students termed as arbitrary, has reportedly angered the postgraduate students at the institute. The movement began in early July, when the IIT-B administration for the first time proposed a fee hike of around 35 per cent for all its postgraduate programmes.
The students have recently demanded immediate cancellation of the fee hike. According to media outlets, a statement issued by the protesting students said that they have also demanded the cancellation of the resolution passed by the Board for Governors, which had recommended a 5 per cent annual fee hike, based on which This special duty hike was implemented. The students have also demanded the inclusion of student representatives in the fee hike committee.
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