ABVP intensifies protest over HPU fee hike

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ABVP warns of indefinite hunger strike if 25–27% fee hike is not rolled back and student union polls are not restored

Dharamshala , August 20

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest outside the Dharamshala Deputy Commissioner’s office on Thursday over the fee hike at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), demanding immediate withdrawal of the increased fees and restoration of student union elections that have remained suspended since 2013.

During the protest, ABVP workers raised slogans against the university administration and demanded that the fee hike be rolled back. The organisation also called for the restoration of student union elections, which have not been held at HPU since 2013.

ABVP state executive committee member Jitendra Singh said fees at Himachal Pradesh University had been increased by around 25 to 27 percent following a meeting of the university’s executive council. He said the ABVP has been opposing the hike for nearly a month.

Singh said students from poor and hardworking families across Himachal Pradesh pursue higher education, and the increased fees would put an additional financial burden on them. He urged the university authorities and the state government to reconsider the decision immediately.

He claimed that ABVP activists at HPU has been on hunger strike for the past 16 days in protest against the fee hike. The organisation has demanded that the increased fees be withdrawn immediately and that student union elections be restored.

Singh warned that if the demands were not addressed soon, the ABVP would intensify its agitation. He said the organisation will resort to an indefinite hunger strike if necessary.

The ABVP also urged the authorities to address students’ concerns through dialogue and take steps to ensure that higher education remains accessible to students from economically weaker sections.