More than 700 students had assembled in the national capital in support of the students agitating outside the UGC office for the last 45 days. Students from JNU, Allahabad University and Aligarh Muslim University were among those held in custody till late Wednesday night at the Parliament Street Police Station. According to the Police officer, 150 students were detained, but the number is much higher according to the protesters.
Occupy UGC movement, which started in Delhi in October as an act of resistance against a plan of the MHRD to restructure so-called non-NET fellowships availed by thousands of students across many central universities.
The campaign has now spread across India and widened in its aims to get back fellowship stipends and demands an end to further cuts to research institutions and projects.
The other important thing which the students are protesting is the proposed negotiations on higher education at the forthcoming WTO conference in Nairobi. Police officials, however, said that the students pelted stones at police prompting them to use water canon on agitators. A protestor denied the allegations made by the police officials. They add that despite of peaceful protest they were brutally beaten by the police officials.
