4 Major Delhi Metro Stations Shut Gates

Delhi Metro has closed the entrance and exit doors at Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk. The stations of Lok Kalyan and the Central Secretariat in the city after hundreds of students from Jawaharlal Nehru University clashed with the police after taking to the streets to demand a complete setback of the recent rise in hostel rates. In the tweets published on his official Twitter account, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that the decision to close the key stations of the Yellow Line in the middle of the JNU student protest was made after discussions with police.

"As advised by the Delhi police, the trains do not stop at Udyog Bhawan and Patel Chowk. The entry / exit gates of Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk and the Central Secretariat have been temporarily closed ... the trains (also) they don't stop at Lok Kalyan Marg and the entrance / exit gates of the station have also been temporarily closed, "said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in its official Twitter account.

At least 50 UNWG students were arrested by the Delhi police this afternoon, since then they have been released, as they and hundreds of others marched in Parliament singing slogans against hikes and carrying signs and banners. The student body said the march was "a way to appeal to legislators to fight on our behalf inside the house floor."

In response, the authorities imposed prohibitive orders outside the parliament building and around the UNJ campus, and barricaded near Safdarjung's tomb in southern Delhi to prevent further progress.

Parliament began today on the first day of the winter session.

Police and students clashed when the last group tried to climb the barricades.

"The students are struggling hard to clear the barricades installed by the Delhi police, but admit they may not arrive in parliament due to the strong deployment of the police and the CRPF along the way," a student told the IANS news agency.

Students have been protesting a rate increase that was revealed in a recently published hostel manual draft. Last week, hundreds of students clashed with the police on the day of the university's announcement. Policemen with riot gear were seen, completely outnumbered by the students, pushing with the crowd.

The Ministry of Education formed a three-member panel this morning to recommend measures to restore the normal functioning of the university.

"In order to restore the normal functioning of the UNJ through dialogue with all interested parties and advise the university administration for the resolution of contentious problems, the government has appointed a three-member high-power committee," said human resources secretary R Subrahmanyam.

Protests are mainly due to increases in hostel room rates. The university has increased the rent of a double room of Rs. 10 per month at Rs. 300 per month, than for a single room of Rs. 20 per month at Rs. 600 per month and a refundable one-time refundable security deposit increased from Rs. 5,500 to Rs. 12,000.