AMU fee hike protest enters seventh day; council caps increase at 20% for existing students

Protests at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) against a recent fee hike entered the seventh day today, with students maintaining their indefinite dharna at the Bab-e-Syed Gate and boycotting classes. A section of students has also demanded the conduct of students’ union elections, which have not been held for eight years, and the removal of certain senior officials.

The agitation intensified after Syed Hasan, a Master of Laws (LLM) student, began an indefinite hunger strike, stating he had written to the President, Prime Minister, and Chief Justice of India, holding the AMU administration and district authorities responsible for his security. Hasan alleged that the university had not opened any formal channel of communication during the protest .

Several Opposition MPs, including Congress’ Imran Masood, Samajwadi Party’s Ziaur Rehman Barq, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, have sought withdrawal of the fee hike and an investigation into alleged police action during Friday prayers at the dharna site.

The All India Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has also urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene, citing the impact of the hike on underprivileged students and poor hostel conditions.

20% cap on fee hike for existing students

On Thursday, the AMU Academic Council held a special online meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor Naima Khatoon and decided to cap the fee hike for existing students at a maximum of 20% over the previous session’s rates, to be implemented in phases.

The council also approved instalment facilities and concessions for students from economically weaker sections. AMU spokesperson Omar Peerzada said alternative revenue sources, such as alumni contributions and use of facilities for national-level examinations, would be explored.

SIO terms hike ‘administrative betrayal’

However, the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), AMU unit, in a statement titled Administrative Betrayal of Sir Syed’s Vision: An Unjust Fee Hike at AMU, released detailed data showing an average fee hike of 41% across faculties, with increases ranging from 24.63% to 62.82%.

According to the SIO, 52.94% of courses saw hikes of 40% or more, and 72.41% saw hikes of 35% or more. The highest increase recorded was 85% for the PhD continuation fee in the Faculty of Social Sciences (day scholars), which rose from Rs 5,500 to Rs 10,180 before a partial rollback.

According to the data, the faculty-wise average fee increase for the academic session, in both rupee and percentage terms, is as follows.

The SIO alleged that the administration’s public claim of a modest 15–20% increase — amounting to Rs 1,000–Rs 1,500 in some courses — was misleading, and that the decision was taken without approval from the AMU Executive Council, which, as per statutes, must ratify major policy changes with significant financial or social impact.

EC members question fee hike process

In a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, three Executive Council members — Musavvir Ali, Murad A. Khan, and Moinuddin — expressed concern over the scale of the increase and the approval process, calling the decision “administratively irregular and institutionally unaccountable.”

The Vice-Chancellor’s office has confirmed that a Disciplinary Committee meeting will be convened on students’ request and that students’ union elections will be held in accordance with Lyngdoh Committee guidelines “at an appropriate time.”