Students Hold Vice-Chancellor Hostage Over Fee Hike at Presidency University

Students at Presidency University are protesting against a proposed increase in admission fees, holding Vice-Chancellor Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty and the registrar gheraoed. The hike, aimed at addressing a financial crunch, has led to sit-ins and demands for a written commitment to reverse the decision.

Presidency University Vice-Chancellor Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty has been under gherao for over 12 hours as students demand a written commitment to reverse a proposed hike in admission fees.

The students also gheraoed the registrar on the main campus since Wednesday evening.

"We want the VC to provide us with a written assurance that the proposal of fee hike will be withdrawn. We will allow him to leave once he agrees to it," said Bitan Islam, an SFI activist.

Neither the in-charge VC Chakraborty nor Registrar Debojyoti Konar responded to phone calls during the protest.

The proposed hike would raise fees from Rs 4,205 to Rs 7,200 at the undergraduate level and from Rs 4,300 to Rs 7,200 for postgraduate students. An official from the university cited financial constraints affecting the procurement of new books, laboratory instruments, and facility maintenance as reasons for the fee increase.

The acting VC and registrar are reportedly being provided with food and water, but students argue the fee issue is a matter of life and death. About 100 students, led by the Students Federation of India, have been staging a sit-in at the main campus demanding the rollback of the fee hike. The gherao began at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday after the acting VC refused to give any written assurance.

"The fee hike has become imperative as the institution faces a funds crunch, affecting procurement of new books for the library, instruments for laboratories, and maintenance of existing lab facilities," the university official said. The increase is intended to apply only to first-semester admissions. Islam claimed that students have proposed alternative funding methods to avoid burdening them with higher fees.

(With inputs from agencies.)