"Will boycott vote if Assam University doesn't delay exams"; Degree students of Silchar agitate infront of DC Office

The air got rife with slogans like “Assam University haay haay”; “Assam University hoshiyar”; “Chatra Ekta Zindabad; “Exam delay korte hobe”; “Online mode rakhte hobe”. A huge number of students wearing different uniforms could be seen agitating in front of the DC Office. Both sides of the road got jammed as the students sat in a dharna in Office Para. One sided decisions taken by the Assam University detrimental to the CBCS degree students is what they allege and are very furious about.

Yesterday the University published the TDC CBCS Odd Semester Exam routine which is scheduled to start from 9th March, 2021. What was astonishing to the students is that they never could imagine an educational authority declaring an exam routine in such a short period of time to commence which doesn’t even happen with school exams. Also, the university has turned a deaf ear to the repeated pleas by students to conduct exams in both online and offline mode considering the candidates living outside Barak Valley since the pandemic and the recent rise in covid cases all over India. Infact, 8 colleges of Barak Valley including Cachar College, Srikishan Sarda College, Nabin Chandra College, Ramakrishna Nagar College, AK Chanda Law College, Radhamadhab College, Moinul Hoque Choudhury Memorial Science College, Satya Ranjan College had already forwarded the memorandum submitted by the students to the University but there was not a single response by the Assam University from their side.

What they also accuse is that the online exam mode has been kept for the departmental students studying in Assam University campus but incase of TDC students it’s the opposite which shows a step motherly attitude by the only University in South Assam and Dima Hasao region. Today, GC College became the 9th government college to forward the memorandum for conducting exams in both modes as their Principal signed it and soon after that the students of GC College went for a dharna infront of DC Office. As time went, students from other colleges of Silchar like Cachar College, Radhamadhab College and NC Paul Memorial College also joined in the agitation which led to a huge traffic congestion in the road. The onlookers were astounded by such a large conglomerate of hundreds of students in different college uniforms heating the air with slogans in Office Para on a calm Thursday afternoon.

After the ADC arrived at her office, the students submitted their memorandum to her. The ADC assured them that the administration will look into their grievances seriously and discuss the same with Assam University authority. She also took a time of two days for communicating with the University and convey the end result of discussion to the students.

Speaking to reporters, Janmejoy Choudhury, a student of GC College who led the protests said, “With no option in hand, we were compelled to agitate infront of DC office and obstruct the road as the University Authority is not at all listening to us and are taking one sided decisions without consulting anyone. We want the exams to be held in both online and offline mode for the convenience of everyone. Yesterday, the University authority published the TDC CBCS Odd Semester routine which is scheduled to start from 9th March because of elections. It is not possible for us to appear for exams in such a short period of time. We want to tell all the elected representatives of the Valley that if the University doesn’t delay the exams and give us adequate time for preparation then the students’ community will boycott from voting any political party in the upcoming assembly elections.”

Another student of GC College, Subhasish Choudhury who was also at the forefront of the student protests told that they would visit Assam University campus tommorow for submitting the nine memorandums forwarded by the Principals of Degree colleges and hold a discussion with the Vice Chancellor for holding the exams at a later date and conduct it in both online and offline mode for everyone’s convenience.

What appears is that the students community has been greatly irked by the unilateral one sided decisions taken by the Assam University and boycotting vote being youths will definitely not be something that the elected representatives of the Valley would want as the Prime Minister is always seen trying to encourage the youth population for voting in elections.