It’s absolutely unfortunate when young students who are nation’s real future struggles against laxity and uncertainty of their own institution in the nation’s one of the prestigious institution of India like Himachal Pradesh National Law University(NLU-SHIMLA).
|| Anjan Kumar Samal
The students of University boycotted the classes on Tuesday and demonstrated on the university campus to meet their demands. The students also shouted slogans throughout the day demonstrating these demands. Law students also submitted their demands in writing to the university VC in writing.
Rudresh Katoch, one among the protesters urged “We are demanding cut in the exponential fee hike – of Rs 2.35 lakh annually – and also over non-availability of proper hostel facilities in the campus.”
The administration’s clear and loud reluctance to meet the students’ demands led the second-day protest by as many as 400 law students in Himachal Pradesh National Law University.
In the demand letter, the students have said that they are paying up to 2.35 lakh fees, despite this, they are not getting facilities. Clean water is not given for drinking. There is no internet facility, there are no curtains, water and washing facilities in the hostel rooms.
The University charges for WIFI, sports facility, and moot court facility but none of the mentioned facility is provided to students. All the demands put forward by the students of National Law University (Himachal Pradesh) are in fact genuine like safe drinking water, hygienic food, and inhabitable hostel facilities.
A statement written to the administration of the University reveals“…the university is reluctant in providing detailed fee structure to the students. Some expenses such as sports fees, WiFi fees, student bar council, campus development fund & moot court expenses could not be justified as it was never provided to the students in the last four years. Also, upon asking in last semester protest, these all head were put under a single vague head in fee structure namely ‘other facilities’.”
All the students involved in this protest also suggest a democratically elected student body association, proper medical facilities including transparent functioning of the administration.
Astonishingly during the protest, the reply of VC unveils the inhuman mindset of University’s administration. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Nishtha Jaswal in reply to the strike, questioned the standards of students who study there in the said HP National Law University.
As every action has it’s equal and opposite reaction, the University administration warned, “it is hereby notified to all students, protesting or sitting on a strike or in any manner participating in the unruly aggregations of students or not joining their classes, that strict action shall be taken against students who are found indulging in such activities.”
The Student Committee does not have any rights that it is unable to represent the students. Classes do not according to the schedule. But all the students in the strike have decided to continue the strike until their demands and rights are met.
Shrikrishna Chaudhary, another protester, informed “Despite charging Rs 2.35 lakh yearly, the HP-National Law University does not have its own hostel for students in the campus and have hired accommodation in unsafe places. The food is unhygienic and there is a shortage of power.”
