Chaos at Rajasthan University: Police lathi-charge protesting students, scores detained
Jaipur, Nov 19 (IANS) Tension erupted at the Rajasthan University campus on Wednesday after police lathi-charged students protesting alleged irregularities in exam results and the evaluation process.
Protest was seen on campus after police detained eight students, including student leader Shubham Rewad, during a demonstration on Tuesday.
Students alleged that the university administration has significantly increased the re-evaluation fee, placing an additional financial burden on them. They claimed that many students are being deliberately failed by one mark, forcing them to apply for re-evaluation and pay the inflated fee.
More than half a dozen students, including student leader Kamal Chaudhary, were detained during the demonstration.
According to students, the protest was symbolic: many wore garlands made of currency notes to highlight what they claim are unjust and excessive fees linked to the “not promoted” and re-evaluation processes.
They alleged that when they demanded accountability from the university administration, officials responded with force instead of dialogue.
In protest, several female students climbed onto the front of the police vehicle to prevent it from moving and raised slogans against the police.
The protest intensified as students raised slogans outside the administrative block and the Vice-Chancellor’s office, with some climbing onto the building’s roof.
Police intervened to disperse the crowd and detained several protesters. Student leaders condemned the police action, arguing that raising concerns about academic irregularities has “been made a crime.”
They accused the police of acting as a “protective shield” for the university administration rather than ensuring students’ rights.
Protesters claim that the university is charging extra, as well as illegal fees for re-evaluating semester exam papers. Instead of addressing these concerns, they say, authorities chose to silence peacefully protesting students through force.
“If peaceful protest within democratic norms is treated as wrongdoing, what remains of students’ rights and freedom?” a protesting student asked.
–IANS
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