Barred KR Mangalam students protest, cry foul over attendance bias

As many as 170 students of KR Mangalam University on the Sohna Road (25 km away from Gurgaon) staged a protest on Tuesday, alleging that the university administration did not allow them to sit for their exams as their attendance was below 75 per cent.

The students protested against the orders passed by the administration by locking the university gates. “We have not got the minimum 75 per cent attendance in our semester but there are so many others like us, who don’t even have 40 per cent attendance but they are being allowed to sit for the exams,” said Sunil Yadav, a student studying in the university.

The protesting students alleged that the university administration is letting students with attendance less than 75 per cent sit for the exams because these students come from big families and have references of big politicians and businessmen.

To show their disappointment towards the favour done by the administration to other students, as many as 170 students locked the gates of the university from outside, so that no professor or staff could go inside the university. The incident took place around 8.20 am when the students locked the door for staff and professors so that the exam cannot be conducted.

The university administration, in turn, registered a case against eight students, who were leading the protest with the rest of the students. A case has been registered against these eight students in Sohna police station, under Sections 147, 149 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code.

“My entire year will get wasted if I don’t get to sit for the exams. This is because I don’t have the approach of a politician,” said Ram Verma, a student.