Hundreds of students protested near the Jawaharlal Nehru University here on Monday against the administration’s “anti-students” policy.

Students wanted to march towards the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), where Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is addressing the university’s convocation at an auditorium.

However, the gates of the AICTE, around 3 km from the JNU, were locked and the security personnel were stationed in and outside the premises. The students later reached the convocation area at around 11.30 am.

According to a senior officer, the students broke barricades and marched towards the auditorium. Some of the protesters have been detained.

The students were beating tambourine, raising slogans like “Delhi Police Go Back”  and also calling Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar a “thief”.

Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal is stuck in the venue. Meanwhile, the police are requesting the students to let him go.

“JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh and vice president Saket Moon were asked to talk to the students to make way for the HRD minister. Police requested the protesters to move from the gate, but they refused,” an officer said.

For now, police is making JNUSU office-bearers meet V-C.

The demands

Students want withdrawal of the draft hostel manual, which they claimed has provisions for fee hike, dress code and curfew timings.

The protest is part of the agitation against the hostel manual and several other issues like restrictions by the administration on entry to the Parthasarathy Rocks, attempts to lock students’ union office, according to the students.

The students’ union said the strike will not end till the hostel manual is withdrawn.

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