Even as protesting students of Delhi University get rounded up by the police during their demonstrations for online exams, Jadavpur University has also now extended an offer to make accommodations to ensure that students can write their exams offline. However, just like DU, there are still a good number of students who refuse to give in and have continued their demand for online exams for the odd semester. Apart from extending the deadline for applications for hostel accommodation, the university has also said that it will now consider arranging accommodation for more than just the 80 students it had first proposed.
As reported by Telegraph India, the JU Teachers' Association is firmly behind the varsity's decision to conduct the exams offline as they ensure "fair evaluation". This is the view held by the teachers at Delhi University as well. The students resisting offline exams claim that they are unprepared for pen-and-paper exams since they have only been studying online in the last couple of years due to the pandemic. They also rue missed practical sessions and fear the disruption in preparation that might happen if they are required to travel to the campus for the exams from other cities.
For its part, DU has reduced the syllabus for the exams and has provided an extra half hour for the students to write the exam. In addition to this, they have said that students will be tested only on those practical concepts that have been taught to them offline. However, the Delhi University students have protested vehemently all this week for online exams, even though there has been no official support from the DU students' union. Following some tension at the protests on Tuesday, there were reports of alleged lathicharge on the students by the police.
Subsequently, the Delhi Police imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on the campus, effectively curbing the students from protesting. The Students Federation of India condemned the alleged violence by the police and the imposition of Sec 144, along with other student and teachers' organisations. "SFI DU condemns the police brutality on protesting students and the deployment of police personnel inside the university premises. The administration should come to the negotiation table and listen to demands and then resort to viable solutions instead of inflicting lathicharge on protesting students," said the SFI in a statement.
