Fee hike: Visually challenged JNU students protest outside police headquarters

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. The students later submitted a memorandum of demands to the police and were assured that their complaints will be looked into.

The students met Delhi Police PRO and DCP (Central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa and apprised him of the "instances of lathicharge and manhandling" of students during the protests on Monday, the minutes of their meeting said. The Delhi Police assured the students that their allegations will be enquired and proper steps would be taken.

"Randhawa agreed to issue a circular to sensitise Delhi Police personnel with regard to dealing with persons with disabilities. It was agreed upon that there will be an official inquiry into the instance of lathicharge and derogatory remarks," the minutes said. Shashi Bhushan Pandey, a differently abled student, had alleged he was lathicharged even after he told police that he is visually challenged.

He had said policemen even told him, "If you are blind, why are you even here at the protest." The minutes also said the DCP agreed to arrange delegation level dialogue with the Delhi Police commissioner within a week to discuss issues.

"They have given us a memorandum with their demands. We have heard their allegations. We have told them that it will be enquired and proper steps would be taken. "Delhi police is a sensitive and professional force. We will enquire into such allegations (of lathicharge). On that day, Delhi police exercised maximum restraint and professionally handled them and tried to control the crowd," Randhawa told reporters. After the meeting, Gunjan Kumari, a representative from the Jawaharlal Nehru University's Visually Challenged Students Forum said they were "satisfied to an extent".

"We wanted to meet the Delhi police commissioner but were made to see the DCP. However, we have been assured that a meeting will be arranged with him," she said. Around 30 students raised anti-police slogans and accused them of "barbaric behaviour" during the protests.

Rashmi Sharma, another differently-abled student, said, "We want a written apology from Delhi police on the lathicharge that they did on a visually challenged student. Even I was present during that protest and when police started pushing the students, I started running and fell down and was hurt." She recalled that her pleas to policemen to allow her to leave peacefully went unheard.

Students also said the hostel fee hike will dent their dreams of studying in JNU. "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 M.Phil student.

Chauhan also said that departmental action should be taken against those who baton charged students that day. Paras Bhatia, another student said, education comes at a premium for differently abled students since they need special aids for education and the scholarship amount is not sufficient to fulfill their expenses, specially for those who come from under privileged families.

The forum had earlier alleged they were not allowed to go to Jai Singh Road towards the new police headquarters to protest. Members of the 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.

"There was confusion among the students about the venue. They were confused whether they wanted to go to the old police headquarters or the new one. They came to Vasant Kunj police station and were escorted by our personnel to the headquarters at ITO," said an officer, requesting anonymity. The forum 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.

JNU students have been agitating against hostel fee hike for over three weeks. The fresh protest by the students came on the day a meeting was underway between representatives of JNU Students Union and HRD Ministry appointed three-member committee to resolve the issue.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)