DU students allegedly manhandled during protest against decision to stop MANF scheme

NEW DELHI: The activists of Students' Federation of India (SFI) Delhi and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) along with student organisations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Delhi University (DU) staged a demonstration in front of the ministry of education against the discontinuation of the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) scheme. Several students, including women were allegedly manhandled by male police personnel.

In a press statement, the student organisations across the country call for a protest on December 12 to mark a dissent against the 'ruling regime’s latest form of assault on the minority communities.' Several students including women were detained and suffered injuries.

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Multiple students have reported increase in financial burden and having to pause their research work due to a nine-month delay in the disbursal of the fellowship. The National Federation of Girls Islamic Organisation (GIO) called the discontinuation of the scheme a “blatant injustice” to the minority communities, the GIO said, “The Union Minister Smriti Irani’s response that the scheme overlaps with several other schemes evidently indicates the State’s ignorance towards the socio-economic conditions of the minorities in the country.”

SFI activists detained while protesting against the discontinuation of the MANF. #manffellowship #ministryofeducation #smritiirani pic.twitter.com/9xWdxhA2EQ

— SFI Delhi (@SfiDelhi) December 12, 2022

"The government’s decision to discontinue MANF Fellowship aligns with its neglectful attitude towards the minorities of the nation. It should also be seen as continual of the anti- students’ New Education Policy. SFI reiterates our commitment to fight for public education and demands the reinstatement of the MANF scheme." read the SFI statement.

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The KYS states in their statement alleges that the government has not increased the seats in government institutions for a few years despite there being a need to do so. For instance, the master's in philosophy (MPhil) degree was discontinued that led to a drastic fall in the number of PhD seats available. In addition to this, the number of candidates awarded various fellowships and scholarships have either decreased or these fellowships and scholarships have been stopped.

The government first discontinues Pre Matric Scholarships for minorities and then further discontinues Maulana Azad Research Fellowships. These decisions will affect lakhs of minority students who are telling the Govt ‘we just want to study.’ But the Govt is in no mood to listen! pic.twitter.com/JrNCsNtDGo

— Imtiaz Jaleel (@imtiaz_jaleel) December 12, 2022

"Now, with the coming of the National Educational Policy 2020, such measures have been ramped up. The government is simply abdicating its responsibility to ensure public-funded education to the masses of the country. It is against this backdrop that the decision to scrap the fellowship for minorities must be viewed." said a KYS, Delhi state committee member, Bhim Kumar.

The central government terminated the five-year financial assistance MANF scheme for minority communities for higher education due to an overlap with existing scholarship schemes such as pre-matric scholarship scheme, post matric scholarship scheme and merit-cum-means based scholarship scheme since 2012-13.