70 students held for violating prohibitory orders in Himachal Pradesh University

Shimla: Seventy students of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) were arrested on Friday as they tried to defy prohibitory orders and stage a rally on the university’s campus.

The students are demanding rollback of a hike in fees along with the restoration of the Students' Central Association (SCA) elections.

The students, who had gathered near the library building at HPU defying prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC, were whisked away in police buses.

In pursuit of their demands, a joint action committee of SFI and ABVP had given a call for rallies at the state and district headquarters today followed by a road blockade on October 14 and a 'Jail Bharo' agitation on October 17.

Tension prevailed at the spot as the students were put in the buses with some of the protesters alleging that they were roughed up by police.

A spokesman for the Student Unity Forum, Rakesh, lashed out at varsity authorities for adopting repressive tactics against peacefully demonstrating students.

He said that an atmosphere of "fear and terror" has been created to bring pressure on the agitating students, but cautioned that they would not be bullied by such tactics.

Students of HPU and its affiliated colleges have for the past two months been agitating over a hike in fees. They have also called for the restoration of direct elections to SCA along with the scrapping of "nominated" SCAs.

The government has constituted a three-member panel headed by retired high court judge VK Sharma to review the fee hike and other related issues.

The students want the decision on the fee hike to be put on hold until the committee submits its report.