Karnataka college students protest against exams during Dasara holidays

Some students said they had repeatedly requested the college to postpone the semester exams. (AI enhanced screen grab)

Hundreds of students at St Agnes College in Karnataka’s Mangaluru staged a protest Monday against the management’s decision to hold semester exams for undergraduate students during Dasara.

The exams are scheduled for October 12 to October 28.

Backed by RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), students and the organisation’s members gathered outside the college.

Some students said they had repeatedly requested the college to postpone the semester exams.

“While all schools and colleges in the state give holidays to students, the college announced the examinations during the same time. We have requested them previously but did not pay any heed,” a student said.

As the crowd swelled, police deployed additional officers, and the deputy commissioner of police also visited the spot. Some of the student leaders were also detained after they refused to disperse.

College Registrar and Controller of Examinations Shubharekha also arrived at the protest area and announced that the semester exams scheduled for October 19 and 22 would be postponed. She also appealed to the students to withdraw the protest and assured that the college administration would stand with them.

“Every year, the semester examinations are usually held in October. On 11 September, the draft examination timetable was published, and students were invited to raise any objections. However, there were no objections raised then, but they sought longer gaps between the examinations, and it was modified accordingly,” Shubharekha told the media.

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While the students and Mangaluru city North BJP MLA Y Bharat Shetty demanded rescheduling the exam to a date after Dasara, Shubharekha said it would be difficult, as the internship and 10-day National Service Scheme (NSS) camp are scheduled to begin on November 2.

St Agnes College is an autonomous college established in 1921.