IIT Bombay students suspend hunger strike as fee hike partially rolled back

The IIT Bombay administration partially reversed the fee increase, and the students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay called off their hunger strike. In a tweet, the students said that practically all of their demands had been taken into account. They also thanked everyone who had shown support for their cause. The IITB students’ protest lasted for more than a month.

“Victory!!! The administration submits to the students’ ongoing battle of the past month. Nearly all of our requests were taken into account, and the fee increase was partially reversed. Finally, we are calling off our hunger strike. We appreciate everyone who supported our cause, read a tweet from the “IIT Bombay Students Against Fee Hike” group “Twitter profile.

On July 28, IIT Bombay students began the second stage of their protest against the fee increase with a relay hunger strike. The student demands included the revocation of the most recent fee increase, the revocation of the Board of Governors resolution recommending a five percent annual fee increase, and the inclusion of student representatives on the standing committee overseeing student fee issues.

The students claim that the institute’s administration agreed to lower the HAF amount from the SMA by Rs 1800 and gave them the choice of paying the SMA in two instalments. The payment deadline has also been extended by IIT Bombay to August 31. Since the IIT Bombay administration agreed at the fee committee meeting to revisit the BoG circular on the five percent annual fee hike and to uphold the other promises by August 19, the students chose to accept the proposal put out by the administration. Students said that they would escalate the conflict if these requirements were not met by the deadline specified above.