Relentless in their demand for roll-back of the fee increase, students of Panjab University started a novel protest on Monday.
Members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), who have been protesting against the fee increase for the 2017-18 academic year through a relay fast, sat outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office, polishing the shoes of bystanders and fellow students to collect money that they said would be sent to the university to help it tide over the financial crisis.
“We are on the 21st day of the fast, but our demand has been ignored; today, we are polishing shoes to wake up the university administration,” said Nikhil Rampal, a student of the Economics Department. “By polishing the people’s shoes, we will send across the message that if the administration has no other means of generating funds, we will go to any extent,” he said.
Surjeet Bharmouri, who is in charge of the NSUI’s Chandigarh unit, said the protest was meant to get across the message to the Central government that it should consider the students’ demand. “If it cannot do it, we are willing to polish the people’s shoes and give the sum thus earned to our university. We have collected ₹190 and will send it to the Vice-Chancellor’s office,” he said.
On April 11, a clash broke out on the campus between the students and the police. The university has justified the 12.5% increase in fees, citing its finances. It is expecting a deficit of ₹244 crore for 2017-18.
