Students of TDC, B.Ed & LL.B stages protest & blocks road in Silchar in demand of online exam

April 3: The deferred examination of TDC (CBCS) Odd Semester (1st, 3rd & 5th) will now be conducted in the month of April, 2021. The exam will begin on 8 April and come to an end on 15 May, 2021. Similarly, the deferred exam of B.Ed and LL.B will also take place in this month. As per a notification issued by the Controller of Examinations of Assam University, the said examinations will be conducted in offline mode.

Earlier, on 4 March, the Controller of Examinations (COE), Assam University in a notification stated that the TDC, BBA, BCA, B.Voc, B.ed & LLB exams which were scheduled to be held in the month of March 2021 were postponed till further notice due to forthcoming Assam Assembly Elections.

However, since February- March, 2021, there has been unrest among the students in demand of conducting the said examinations by Assam university in blended mode, that is, both in online and offline mode. On 3 April, students of different colleges assembled near the Khudiram Statue in Silchar with banners and posters in their hands. They were raising slogans to get their demand of conducting exams in blended mode. The agitating students sat on the middle of the road and blocked the road. Till the filing of this report, the road near Khudiram statue was blocked for around 1 hour.

Meanwhile, Circle Officer, Silchar and OC of Silchar Sadar Police Station reached the spot and tried to negotiate with the agitating students. The Circle Officer assured the students and said, “Five of you can accompany me to talk with the University authorities, but in the meantime, you need to vacate the road.” The students were then unwilling to move from the site unless and unless they were given positive assurance. OC Silchar Sadar Police Station was also seen to negotiate with the students and make them understand that the road blockade could lead to heavy traffic congestion in the town.

The students stated that the pandemic situation augmented by COVID-19 is not over yet and as such, conducting the exam in online mode will ensure the safety of both the students and the teachers. They further added that as the Covid vaccine has not yet been administered to the students and the teachers, so it is very difficult to adhere to all COVID-19 protocols and sit for offline examinations.

They further alleged that when the University authorities are considering to conduct the final examination of the PG and other courses conducted in the campus in offline mode, so the same benefit should be provided to the college students also. They appealed to give them the opportunity of appearing in online mode of examination until and unless the students and the teachers are vaccinated. An agitating student said, “Why this discrimination? If students within the campus are allowed to sit for online exam, then the same facility should be given to us also.”