Students Protest against UGC Decision on NET Fellowship

Students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Ambedkar University and other institutions from different parts of the country had gathered outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) premises in New Delhi to protest against the scrapping of the fellowship awarded so far to non-National Eligibility Test (NET) research scholars.

Students alleged that there were lathi-charged and then the police tried to forcibly remove from the premises.

"Storming of UGC continues. Several of us have been picked up by police since morning 5.30 am in the morning. Another stream of protesters arrived UGC to continue the protest. Police has brutally attacked them. Several comrades are seriously injured and taken to hospital," All India Students' Association (AISA) said in a statement.

"The UGC Non-NET fellowship which was started in 2008 to encourage research in the universities has proved to be a lifeline for researchers who do not have access to other scholarships. It has encouraged students from different backgrounds to continue their research. Instead, the government scraps it," the statement added.

Students alleged that some students belonging to the BJP-led Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) created a ruckus on Friday.

A large number of students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Ambedkar University and other institutions have been sitting on a dharna since Tuesday at the UGC, demanding the authorities to restore the fellowships.