Nine students were taken into preventive custody by the Narsingi police in Hyderabad on Friday after they held a protest against a decision by Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT) to massively hike the fees.
The students were members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and blocked the main gate and sat on a protest, raising slogans, which led to mild tension on campus. Other student organisations have also extended support against the college's move.
“The nine members were taken into preventive custody as they tried to trespass CBIT premises. No cases were filed,” GV Ramana Goud, inspector, Narsingi police station, told ToI.
Students have been protesting ever since the college decided to hike its yearly fee for BE and BTech students, admitted during 2016-17 and 2018-19, from Rs 1.13 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per annum.
The sudden hike of Rs 86,500, has taken the students by surprise, as many of them argue that they could not pay the remainder amount. In a circular (Copy of which is with TNM), the college also said that the money had to be paid before December 15.
“The enhancement of fee in the middle of the year is illegal and unethical. During the protest, the college management threatened to suspend students if they continued the strike. We demand that criminal action be initiated against the management for threatening the students,” said Javvaji Dileep, Hyderabad secretary of ABVP, told the Times of India.
The institute has been justifying the hike, based on a High Court order (Copy with TNM) that had ruled in CBIT's favour to hike the fees to Rs 2 lakh.
It was in 2016, the Telangana Admissions and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) had fixed Rs 1.13 lakh as fee for the CBIT for a period of three years based on the audited reports. However, the private engineering college approached the High Court seeking an increase in the fee fixed by the committee, Telangana Today reported.
Earlier this week, Telangana Parents Association members submitted a representation to chairman of TAFRC on seeking action against CBIT, and brought the issue to the notice of Deputy CM and state Education Minister Kadiyam Srihari.
"We will also file an appeal in court as the government stands strong with the students. It is unfair for college managements to increase the fee in the middle of the academic year, by securing a court order. The additional amount will prove to be a burden for parents as well as students," Srihari was quoted as saying.