Visva-Bharati varsity students protest against fee hike

Students of Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Wednesday continued their sit-in protest against the hike in the fee structure.

A meeting was held on Tuesday evening to discuss the matter, but as the authorities failed to find a solution, around 80 students held a sit-in protest and prevented faculty members and officials from leaving the university campus till Wednesday morning.

One of the protesting students said that the university, which was set up by Asia's first Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, has doubled the fee amount this year.

"Tagore never wanted to burden the students with heavy fees but in this university his vision is not being respected," he said.

Sabuj Kali Sen, former officiating Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: "Student agitation is a common thing. We have held many discussions and will hold further meetings. They are our students and we will soon work out a solution.

"The students fail to understand things many times due to their young age but we will definitely make them understand by talking to them repeatedly," she said.

--IANS

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