Ghaziabad: After three days of protests by ABVP against the decision to hold back 13 law students from the fourth year for backlogs in a few subjects in their first and second years, Christ University said it may advance their supplementary examinations. Following talks between the university and the protesters on Sunday, both sides agreed that the college would reconsider its decision, and ABVP subsequently called off its agitation.While the university has not announced new dates for the backlog examinations, officials told TOI that after discussions with its exam committee, dates for the tests would be communicated to students. Usually, the university holds supplementary exams around Nov.A university official said the institution would also arrange doubt-clearing classes and library access for the students to help them prepare. “The university will have a detailed discussion with its examination committee board and may advance the backlog exams of the 13 students. It will plan necessary steps so that their year is not wasted,” the official said.ABVP media coordinator Tanishq Sishodia said the university had assured protesters that the exams would be advanced and that steps would be taken to prevent the students from losing an academic year. “The officials had a long talk with us in the presence of the district administrative officials. The university has given us assurances that they will advance the exams,” Sishodia said.The protest began on Aug 21, when around 20-25 ABVP activists entered the university’s Ghaziabad campus to demand promotion for the 13 law students. Some of the students had failed subjects in both the first and second years, while others had six to eight pending papers, the university said. It maintained that its promotion and backlog rules applied uniformly across its six campuses.ABVP argued that the students should be allowed to clear their pending papers without losing an academic year. The protest continued on Aug 22, with supporters staging a sit-in outside the main gate and demanding that the university promote the 13 students immediately. The same day, the university filed a complaint at Nandgram police station, alleging trespassing, vandalism and assault on women security personnel. It alleged that protesters damaged the main gate and flowerpots, disrupted the university’s functioning and blocked a public road, affecting traffic and confining students to the campus for around an hour. The university also sought registration of an FIR and identification of the protesters through CCTV footage.On Monday, Nandgram ACP Ziauddin Ahmad confirmed that no FIR was registered as a settlement was reached between the university and the protesting students on Sunday night.
