By Muslim Mirror

In opposition to the Centre’s decision to end the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) programme, the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) organised a national protest.

A sizable contingent of MSF-JNU students demonstrated at Jantar Mantar in opposition to the scheme’s discontinuation. “MANF must stay!” and “Resist attack on education” were among the banners and signs that the demonstrators held up.

MPs from Kerala ET Muhammed Basheer, MP Abdussamad, and NK Premachandran gave speeches during the protest.

The students alleged that the Delhi Police had detained some of the protesting students in front of the ministry of education.

After Smriti Irani, the union’s minister for minorities affairs, stated on December 9 that the MANF programme will be discontinued, student organisations and political figures from all around the nation voiced their concerns.

“The MANF scheme overlaps with various other fellowship schemes for higher education being implemented by the Government and minority students are already covered under such schemes, hence the Government has decided to discontinue the MANF Scheme from 2022-23,” the union minister had said.