Shoaibur Rahman, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: Protest at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) against a recently announced fee hike, the long-standing suspension of students’ union elections and calls for administrative accountability have entered their sixth day, with students boycotting classes and staging sit-ins at the Bab-e-Syed gate (the iconic entrance of the varsity).
The fee structure for different courses has witnessed a sharp revision. Students say the hike ranges from 25% to over 60% across various programmes. Many claim they first learned of the revised fees only while trying to pay through the university’s online portal, with no prior notice or formal communication from the administration.
Syed Kaif, a second-year LL.M student, said, “The administration did not issue any official notification about the hike. The B.A. LL.B. course fee, for example, has gone up from Rs 14,975 to Rs 18,700 this year. This decision was taken by the Academic Council without student representation.”
The university has defended the hike, stating it was approved in an Academic Council meeting held on June 4. According to a press release, the revision is aimed at improving essential services such as health care, hostels and campus infrastructure. It claims the average increase for continuing students is between 15% and 20%.
However, fee receipts accessed by students and shared with the media show a higher range of increases. In some cases, course fees have risen by as much as 61%.
Students claim the increase is much steeper than what the administration has stated. When TwoCircles.net checked the students’ claims, we found that the fee has been hiked upto 61 percent.
Kaif described the university’s justification as “irrational and illogical”. Referring to AMU’s 2024 final audit report, he highlighted that the institution received Rs 1,565.48 crore from the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2023-24, along with an internal income of Rs 35.61 crore and an opening balance of Rs 118.92 crore.
“The university had a budget of over Rs 1,720 crore last year. Around Rs 167 crore of that was unutilised. So why increase the burden on students?” he asked.
Kaif, who has also filed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the restoration of students’ union elections in AMU, warned that students would approach the courts if the university did not roll back the hike.
Almost 80 percent students of AMU come from economically backward communities. “A steep fee hike will discourage their enrollment in higher education. The AMU was founded to provide affordable education for minorities and marginalised sections. This move is against the very dream of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan,” another student said, on the condition of anonymity.
The All India Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has appealed to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene.
“Many students from underprivileged backgrounds will be forced to drop out. For instance, the Bachelor of Library Science fee has gone from Rs 16,000 to over Rs 22,000, an increase of nearly 40%,” said the association’s national convenor Nasir Khuehami
The group also flagged broader concerns, including alleged poor hostel conditions, inadequate sanitation and the absence of student representation. The AMU Students’ Union has not held elections since 2018, a gap that protestors argue undermines institutional accountability.
Former AMU Students’ Union Vice President Hamza Sufiyan said student voices have been excluded from key decision-making bodies. “There used to be student representatives in the Academic Council. Since 2019, that space no longer exists. Major policy decisions are now being taken without student input,” he alleged.
He also accused the administration of trying to turn AMU, built on waqf land, into a corporate model and urged it to withdraw what he called an “anti-people decision”. “Education should neither be an opportunity, nor a burden,” he asserted.
The protests escalated following an incident where female students claimed they were harassed by the proctorial team and police during a peaceful demonstration. The students are also calling for the resignation of the proctorial team, citing their failure to ensure student safety and dignity.
“We will continue our sit-in until they step down. We are resolute in our protest. The proctorial team must be held accountable for failing to protect us. Until they resign, we will not move forward with discussions on our other demands,” said a woman student of the university, on the condition of anonymity.
Support has come from across campuses and political circles. Mohd. Abu Hamza, AMU alumnus and former vice president of Maulana Azad National Urdu University Students’ Union, said, “This move targets students from working-class backgrounds. The AMU was established to provide accessible education, not create new barriers.”
Nitish Kumar, president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), also expressed his support and joined the peaceful protest at campus. “A university should be a space for dialogue, not repression,” he said, adding that “AMU is not only an institution, but a thought, a movement and a hope”.
Political leaders have also weighed in. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “In complete solidarity with the students of AMU. The university must rollback its fee hike. Many of AMU’s students come from backward regions and poor families. A 35%-40% increase is unbearable.”
Former External Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid called the developments “deeply distressing”, urging the AMU to uphold its tradition of affordable education.
Opposition MPs have also written to Vice-Chancellor Professor Naima Khatoon, raising concerns about reports of police presence and alleged crackdowns on students during Friday prayers at the protest site.
As the academic session continues, students remain firm in their demands: a rollback of the fee hike, restoration of students’ union elections and action against those responsible for the reported mishandling of peaceful protests.
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