Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 19 (ANI): The dispute over the fee hike at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) intensified on Wednesday, with students and major campus organisations stepping up protests against the university administration and demanding withdrawal of the increased fees.
Students of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) held separate protest marches on the university campus and surrounded the office of the Vice-Chancellor, escalating pressure on the administration.
The ABVP has also been observing a relay hunger strike for the past 16 days, demanding rollback of the fee hike and restoration of students’ union elections at the university and colleges. The organisation said the agitation would continue until its demands are addressed.
The protests come amid widespread resentment among students over the university’s decision to increase various fees. Student organisations have alleged that the hike goes beyond the stated 25 per cent increase in several categories, particularly under non-subsidised courses, examination-related charges, and PhD-related fees
SFI leaders said the fee hike was not the only issue concerning students and alleged that recruitment of 186 professors between 2020 and 2023 was irregular. The allegations are those of the student organisation and have not been independently established in the material provided.
Speaking to ANI, HPU SFI unit general secretary Mukesh Kumar said the organisation was demanding an inquiry by a judicial committee into the alleged appointments and removal of those found to have been recruited illegally.
He said a Finance Committee meeting was held on December 10, 2025, followed by an Executive Council meeting on March 28, after which the fee hike was implemented.
Kumar described the increase as an attack on the university’s subsidised education structure and said students from economically weaker sections would be adversely affected.
“Our clear demand is that the fee hike at Himachal Pradesh University be withdrawn. But the bigger issue behind the fee hike is the recruitment of what we allege are illegal professors at the university,” he said.
According to Kumar, SFI has alleged that 186 appointments made between 2020 and 2023 were illegal and demanded that the appointments be investigated through a judicial committee.
He said students would continue their agitation until both the alleged irregular appointments and the fee hike were addressed.
SFI campus president Ashish Chauhan said thousands of students had marched from hostels and different departments to the Vice-Chancellor’s office.
He said the participation included students who were not affiliated with any organisation and described the protest as a broader student movement against the fee hike.
Chauhan alleged that the university administration was presenting the increase as a 25 per cent hike, whereas fees under several categories had increased substantially more.
He added that the subsidised admission fee had increased by around 25 per cent, while some non-subsidised courses had witnessed increases of 40 to 50 per cent and, in certain cases, 200 to 250 per cent, according to the organisation’s assessment.
He further alleged that examination-related fees had increased by around 50 per cent, while certain fees applicable to PhD research scholars had risen by 100 to 200 per cent and, in some cases, up to 1,000 per cent.
These figures are claims made by SFI and would require verification from official university fee schedules.
Chauhan said students were aware of the fee structure and would continue the agitation until the increased fees were rolled back.
The SFI also questioned the increase in fees in courses where, according to the organisation, students continue to face inadequate infrastructure and facilities.
Kumar cited departments such as BCA and LL.M., alleging that they lack adequate infrastructure and facilities. He also raised concerns about the infrastructure available to B.Tech students at the University Institute of Information Technology (UIIT).
He alleged that students were being charged higher fees despite deficiencies in infrastructure and facilities.
SFI leaders also criticised the university administration over what they described as a decline in the institution’s ranking and said greater attention should be given to academic and infrastructural improvement rather than increasing the financial burden on students.
The ABVP has raised two principal demands, asking for a rollback or reduction of the increased fees and restoration of students’ union elections in the university and colleges.
ABVP Himachal Pradesh state executive member Aman Aditi said the university had issued an order increasing admission and departmental fees by around 25 to 27 per cent, while miscellaneous fees had, according to the organisation, been increased by around 100 per cent in some cases.
She said the ABVP had opposed the decision through memoranda, protests, campus-level demonstrations and other forms of agitation across the state.
The organisation also questioned the absence of student representation in the university’s decision-making process following the discontinuation of Students’ Central Association (SCA) elections in 2013.
“Student union elections were an important right of students. Since the SCA elections were stopped in 2013, student representation in the Executive Council, which is the university’s main decision-making body, has also ended,” she said.
The ABVP said restoring student elections was therefore essential for ensuring student representation in university governance.
Aditi also objected to the application of revised fees to students who had already secured admission under the previous fee structure.
She said any fee revision should apply to new batches and should not be imposed retrospectively on students who took admission after referring to the earlier prospectus and fee structure.
According to her, fees under some non-subsidised courses had increased from around Rs 60,000 to Rs 75,000, while courses where the earlier fee was around Rs 90,000 were now charging up to Rs 1.20 lakh, according to the ABVP’s assessment.
She said such increases placed an additional burden on students from economically weaker sections who come to HPU because of its subsidised education structure.
The ABVP said it launched the relay hunger strike after organising a major student rally on August 3.
The hunger strike completed its 16th day on Wednesday, with the organisation saying the agitation would continue until a concrete decision was taken on the fee hike.
Aditi said the organisation had been invited for discussions and had received assurances that the fee increase could be reduced. However, she said the administration had indicated that a final decision would require approval from the Executive Council.
“We have clearly told the Vice-Chancellor that the hunger strike will not end until a final decision is taken through the Executive Council to reduce the fee hike,” she said.
The SFI leadership warned that the agitation could intensify if the university administration failed to respond to the demands.
Kumar said students had gathered outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office to press for what they described as their rights and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the “irrational” fee hike.
He also said the organisation would continue mobilising students from different sections of the university.
The competing student organisations have thus converged on the demand for relief from the increased fee burden, although SFI’s campaign additionally focuses on alleged irregular faculty appointments, while ABVP is also seeking restoration of student union elections.
The protests have placed the university administration under increasing pressure to clarify the extent and rationale of the fee revisions and to address concerns over student representation, infrastructure, and the financial burden on students.
The final decision on the fee structure is expected to come through the university’s Executive Council process, which the ABVP has cited as the key forum for determining whether the increased fees will be reduced. (ANI)
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