Braving the rains, aspiring PhD students staged a protest in front of the Crawford Hall in Mysuru on Tuesday, May 20, expressing their anger over the rejection of their PhD admissions.

The students raised slogans condemning the university administration and demanded that the authorities allow faculty members to take on more research scholars under their guidance, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

They alleged that the university was denying higher education opportunities to students from poor and rural backgrounds, thereby acting against the spirit of inclusive education.

The agitating students who were supported by former mayor Purushotham said that as per the current guidelines, each professor is permitted to guide 8 PhD students, associate professors can guide 4, and assistant professors can guide 6.

However, the protestors urged the administration to increase this capacity, requesting that professors be allowed to guide more students.

The students maintained that expanding the number of research slots would not only benefit scholars from marginalised backgrounds but also uphold the university's commitment to academic advancement and equity, according to a report by The New Indian Express.