NEW DELHI: Delhi Police reportedly detained some students associated with the Students Federation of India (SFI) who were protesting outside Nirman Bhawan demanding concessional metro pass.
The students were denied permission to send a delegation to the minister concerned. SFI Delhi chief Sooraj said: “We don’t understand why the government feels threatened by students. After all, we are asking for a basic metro pass.”
Meanwhile, SFI Delhi secretary Aishe Ghosh said, “Today, hundreds of students had gathered to share their concerns, but the authorities have shown us that they do not care”.
JNUSU vice president Avijit indicated that students have always been reasonable in their protests. “We are always willing to cooperate. But this does not mean that the government cannot even allow us to send a delegation. Are they telling us that the voices of over 60,000 students mean nothing?”
Pointing to the history of the campaign, Sneha, the SFI candidate secretary, DUSU said, “In 2022, the DMRC had referred our demands to the fare fixation committee. The Delhi transport minister even met a delegation of SFI in 2023. However, they continued to ignore our demands.”
Echoing a similar opinion, Anamika, SFI joint secretary candidate, DUSU said it was shameful that while Delhi Metro has been classified as the second-most expensive metro in the world, the government had refused to hear the grievances of students.”