The agitation over Aligarh Muslim University’s steep fee hike has reached New Delhi, with the All India Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (AIJKSA) urging Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to immediately roll back the decision. The group warned that the move could bar thousands of underprivileged students from accessing higher education.

In a letter to Pradhan, AIJKSA national convenor Nasir Khehami described the hike — ranging from 36 to 42% in some courses — as “arbitrary, unjustified and exclusionary.” He cited the example of the B.Lib course, whose annual fee has jumped from ₹16,000 to over ₹22,000 this year.

AMU Proctor Wasim Ali confirmed that fees had been increased by ₹500 to ₹1,500 for various courses, attributing the rise to infrastructure improvements approved by multiple committees. But Khehami countered that the burden falls on students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds already struggling with basic expenses.

The association also demanded a probe into Friday’s police action at the Bab-e-Syed Gate, where students staging a peaceful dharna were allegedly dragged away. They alleged that in the absence of an elected students’ union — not held for the past eight years — peaceful protests are “gagged” by authorities operating without “accountability and transparency.”

The letter further flagged “pathetic” hostel conditions, citing overcrowding, poor sanitation, and unhygienic facilities.

Meanwhile, protests on the AMU campus entered their fifth day on Tuesday, with large-scale boycotts of classes continuing. Students have been demanding not only a fee rollback, but also long-pending student union elections and the removal of senior officials they hold responsible for the crisis.

Several Opposition MPs have also written to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon, condemning Friday’s crackdown and expressing solidarity with the protestors.