Shimla, Aug. 19 -- The dispute over the fee hike at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) intensified on Wednesday, with students and major campus organisations stepping up protests against the university administration and demanding withdrawal of the increased fees.

Students of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) held separate protest marches on the university campus and surrounded the office of the Vice-Chancellor, escalating pressure on the administration.

The ABVP has also been observing a relay hunger strike for the past 16 days, demanding rollback of the fee hike and restoration of students' union elections at the university and colleges. The organisation said the agitation would c...