Violent clashes broke out between police and students protesting grievances including rising fees and housing costs in Delhi on Monday, with authorities at one point deploying water cannons.

Authorities attempted to put the All India Council of Technical Education building on lockdown as hundreds of students from nearby Jawaharlal Nehru University turned out to protest an event there featuring Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal.

Students forced their way through the barricades, preventing the minister from leaving the site for hours. Footage from the scene shows police officers striking students after they pushed through barriers.

The students have been protesting since late last month after changes were announced to their hostel accommodation, including higher fees. Students say the new regulations also mean restricting their movement inside the college campus, and will impinge their freedom of expression as being involved in protests could see them kicked out of their rooms.

While many Indians wrote online of their dismay over what they saw as a heavy-handed approach by police, some were less sympathetic towards the students, saying they live so cheaply in high-standard housing that they really shouldn’t complain.

“No wonder they don’t want to graduate,” one critic wrote.

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