SFI members lathicharged while protesting fee hike

Around 150 students were lathicharged when they attempted to picket the state-run Manonmaniam Sundaranar University here protesting hike in examination fee Tuesday, police said.

The protesters, members of the Left wing Students Federation of India (SFI), were protesting the recent increase in the examination fee for undergraduate students from Rs 100 per paper to Rs 400.

Though officials drew their attention to the university lowering the fee to Rs 200 per paper Monday, the students continued their protest and blocked the main gate of the campus demanding further reduction.

As the situation turned tense, lathicharge was made to disperse them, police said.

Several students suffered bruises in the lathicharge.

The student also demanded they should be allowed to write their examination in Tamil though the medium might be English.