As the agitating students of Amritsar’s Khalsa College refused to budge, the College management on Monday announced indefinite deferment of final examination, scheduled to start from Tuesday. As many as 7000 students were to appear in the final exams.
The decision to postpone the exams was announced by Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) president Satyajit Singh Majithia “until normalcy returns”.
The students, along with parents, were protesting after a hosteller committed suicide allegedly following the pressure by the College faculty, as the agitation entered its sixth day on Monday.
They have been demanding the arrest of three staff members, including the principal, who have already been booked. Teachers have been counter-protesting to demand withdrawal of the suicide-abetment case.
“Postponing examinations is a major setback to thousands of students…But, a few hundred students have left no way out for the management,” said Satyajit Singh Majithia, who reached Amritsar from New Delhi to announce the decision.
“They (protesting students) have blocked all five entries to the college which had restricted the movement and hampered the overall academic environment. Without proper normalcy, exams can’t be conducted. Now, it totally depends on the students,” he said.
At the same time, Majithia made it clear that “no vindictive action” will be taken against the agitating students.
“We are also their foster parents,” he said adding that the students must realize that people who are backing them are doing that for their political and personal interests.
“The allegations that the students are putting is a conspiracy, and there are a few elements who are instigating them for political gains,” he added.
He appealed to the state government to handle the situation efficiently, asking the administration to cooperate with the college management.