JNU hostel fee hike protest: Delhi Police lathicharges students marching towards Rashtrapati Bhavan

The Delhi Police on Monday lathicharged Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students who were marching to Rashtrapati Bhavan.The students were lathicharged near New Delhi's Bhikaji Cama Place metro station after they reached the cordoned off area and attempted to jump the barricades.The students had taken out a march from the university campus to the Rashtrapati Bhavan demanding an appointment with the president, who is also the visitor of the varsity, to seek his intervention in the hostel fee hike issue. A heavy deployment of police was in place ahead of the march.The students circulated photos claiming that the police closed all the gates of JNU. Roads leading to the JNU have also been closed for the traffic, the traffic police said.Baba Gangnath Marg is closed for vehicular traffic due to students' protest and the long march, the Delhi Traffic Police said.The students have been protesting for over a month against the hostel fee hike and have also called for a boycott of upcoming semester exams despite repeated warnings from the administration.The HRD Ministry had set up a three-member committee to look into ways to restore normal functioning in the JNU and mediate between the agitating students and the administration. The panel has submitted its report to the ministry but no call has been taken yet.With inputs from agencies