Following a series of protests by students of Bengaluru-based Azim Premji University against the exorbitant charge of Rs 8,500 per semester for shuttle services between the campus and the hostel, the university spokesperson, in a press statement, said the university had clearly communicated about the charges to students at the time of admission and dubbed the students’ protests as “disruptive” and “intimidatory”. The university also said they “will take appropriate actions to address such behaviour”.

The spokesperson stated, “All students, including the ones ‘protesting’, have been communicated clearly all the fees and charges they will have to pay during their study period at the University, along with their admission offer letters in May-June 2022. Needless to say that this communication is prior to their joining the University, i.e., they decide to join the University with the full knowledge of the fees and charges that they will have to pay.”

It added, “At the time of taking admission (July 2022) into the University all the students have agreed (signed-off) to paying all the fees and charges applicable to them, including the ‘shuttle’ charges of a total of Rs 8,500 for the semester of July-Dec 2022, and then another Rs 8,500 for the semester of Jan-May 2023.”

The university also maintained that the “vast majority” of the students have paid (and will pay) all the charges and fees that they have committed to paying as they joined the university.

In a manifesto drafted by the students on February 16, they stated, “The University promises on its website that ‘We think everybody should have a chance to study no matter what financial constraints they face.’ However, the administration is forcing current first-year students residing in KGA (the hostel) to pay for their commute to and from the university.” It further said, “We are protesting because the management is pressurising students to work in the university to pay the shuttle fees when there was no mention of shuttle fees on the college website or admission process (application, entrances, interviews, evaluation of financial needs, selection, until the point of signing the acceptance letter.”

According to some students, the shuttle services were introduced in 2022 as a matter of safety, following incidents of sexual harassment that impacted certain students. In fact, the students also pointed out that the roughly 1.5 km stretch between the hostel and the campus is “unsafe” and hence the shuttle services are important.