Presidency University Students Protest Fee Hike

A group of students at Presidency University, led by SFI, protested the proposed hike in admission fees by gheraoing the acting vice-chancellor. They demanded a written commitment to reverse the fee increase. The increase, due to financial issues, would affect first-semester admissions and raise fees significantly.

Students from Presidency University staged a protest on Wednesday, confronting acting vice-chancellor Subhro Kamal Mukherjee over a proposed fee hike.

They demanded written assurance that a newly formed advisory committee to review the fee hike would meet that day, with Mukherjee's attendance. 'We will allow him to leave once he agrees to these terms,' said Bitan Islam, an SFI activist.

Nearly 100 students, led by the Students Federation of India (SFI), have been occupying the university’s main campus on College Street. The proposed fee hike, the first in a decade, is seen as necessary due to financial strains affecting the university’s resources.

Neither Mukherjee nor Registrar Debojyoti Konar responded to calls during the sit-in. The hike would raise undergraduate fees from Rs 4,205 to Rs 7,200 and postgraduate fees from Rs 4,300 to Rs 7,200. The increase is proposed only for first-semester admissions, and students have suggested alternative funding methods to avoid the extra burden.