Kolkata, Sept. 11 -- The vice-principal of Surendranath Law College on Friday resigned from her post after a section of students protested against the attendance requirement for appearing in semester examinations.
Mohammadi Tarannum tendered her resignation after being gheraoed by students for nearly 23 hours, during which they staged a sit-in outside her room.
Tarannum said she was forced to resign and sent her resignation to the Calcutta University vice-chancellor and the Higher Education Department.
She alleged that she was a "victim of conspiracy" and was denied basic amenities, including water, electricity and food, during the gherao.
Tarannum claimed that some people opposed to the move to enforce discipline among students were determined to remove her. She also denied having links with the TMC, as alleged by a section of students, and said she had been associated with Left politics in the past.
She said she had informed the Governing Council chairman Kaustav Bagchi, the Higher Education Department and Calcutta University about the matter and sought intervention, but alleged that no one came forward.
The dispute began after the college issued a notice stating that students needed at least 75 per cent attendance to appear for examinations. Students claimed around 600 of nearly 900 students would be unable to sit for the examinations if the criterion was enforced.
Bagchi, a BJP MLA and lawyer, said the 75 per cent attendance criterion was logical but accused the vice-principal of creating an "anti-student mechanism".
He said students with lower attendance should be allowed to appear after submitting self-declarations.
Following a meeting on Thursday, it was decided that students could appear for the examinations on the basis of self-declarations.
However, the decision failed to resolve the issue completely, leading to further protests on the college premises. WITH AGENCY INPUTS
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.