The Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday decided to partially rollback the hike in hostel fees following protests by students for 16 days.
The decision was taken in the varsity's executive council meeting which had to be shifted outside the campus at the last moment fearing agitation by students.
'JNU Executive Committee announces major rollback in the hostel fee and other stipulations. Also proposes a scheme for economic assistance to the EWS students. Time to get back to classes,' HRD secretary R. Subrmanyam tweeted.
According to sources, the room rent which was raised to Rs 600 from Rs 20 for single occupancy will now be Rs 200. Similarly, for double occupancy the rent was hiked from Rs 10 to Rs 300. The amount will now be Rs 100.
The students had on Monday staged a protest outside All India Council for Technical Education, the venue for the convocation attended by vice-president Venkaiah Naidu. As the protests escalated, Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' was stuck inside for over six hours and forced to cancel two scheduled events.
The students had intensified their protest earlier today and the university administration had to shift the executive council meeting outside the campus fearing disruption due to the agitation.
The council is the highest decision-making body of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The students had gathered outside the convention centre on the campus but, to press their demands more effectively, shifted their protest to the administration block, which houses the vice-chancellor's office and the office of other senior administration officials, on Wednesday.
They shouted slogans against the JNU administration and the vice-chancellor.
The JNU Teachers Association, representatives of which attend the council meeting, alleged they were not informed about the change in the venue to the office of the Association of Indian Universities near ITO.
JNUTA president D. K. Lobiyal said the association condemns the decision to shift the venue.
'We have a range of issues, apart from the hostel manual, like promotion of teachers, so that our views can be raised. For last three-four years, even the Academic Council meetings have been postponed or shifted. We condemn it and the VC should not handle the university like this,' Lobiyal said.
'The meeting was supposed to be held at the convention centre inside the campus but when three EC members professors Sachidanand Sinha, Moushumi Basu and Baviskar Sharad Prahlad reached the venue, there was no meeting,' Lobiyal added.