BENGALURU: Amid ongoing protests at Azim Premji University (APU), the university has stated that it will take strict action against the students. While the university has refused to comment on the issue of the protesting students, an internal email shared with TNIE stated that the university would take individual action against the students. They have been protesting for the past week, demanding that APU waive the fee imposed on first-year postgraduate students for using shuttle buses provided by the university.
Students have asked the Rs 8,500 per semester fee be waived as the bus facility was introduced as a safety measure against sexual harassment when students travelled between the university and the student housing.
Responding to the students’ demands, APU Vice-Chancellor Indu Prasad sent an internal email to the student body, alleging that the students had physically intimidated and restrained her and others. “In addition, some students have spread information on social media and violated the code of conduct around that as well… The University will not tolerate any such threatening behaviour. The students engaged in this will be identified and serious disciplinary action will be taken against them,” she stated in the email.
Meanwhile, speaking to TNIE, the students rejected the accusations, alleging there had been no physical intimidation. “The most we did was approach her directly and gheraoed her, as we had been protesting for a week asking for an open discussion into the issue. With regard to social media, we had done a Twitter storm to bring more awareness, following which our accounts were immediately suspended,” they said.