Exams held at NIT Srinagar, about 1000 outstation students skip

An Indian security personnel guards the entrance to NIT, April 7, 2016.

Srinagar/New Delhi: With peace returning to NIT Srinagar, examinations were held at the institute on Monday as per the schedule but over 1000 outstation students skipped it, deciding to avail of the opportunity of taking the test later.

It is learnt that over 1000 outstation students of the NIT, which has the total student strength of over 2500, have decided to leave in the wake of recent row.

"Already around 500 students have left the campus (in Srinagar) while another 500 students have also decided to leave," a source said.

However, a substantial number of non-local students have stayed back to take the exams, he said.

The Board of Governors of NIT Srinagar held a meeting in Srinagar during which it was decided that attempts be made to restore normalcy at the earliest and academic activity be brought back on track, official sources said.

The meeting was told that some outstation students had appeared for examinations held today and that students from outside who could not write their papers would be appearing at a later date.

It was suggested that the faculty members should regularly interact with outstation students and also ensure a bonhomie between local and non-local students.

Meanwhile, police thwarted a bid by three men from Delhi to enter the NIT for hoisting the national flag at the campus which has been witnessing clashes and tension since April one.

The situation on campus was peaceful with no untoward incident taking place, said an NIT official.

"The examinations started today as per schedule with all local students and some outstation students appearing in today's papers," the official told PTI in Srinagar.

Outstation students, who did not appear in the examinations today have been given the option by HRD ministry to write them at a later date.

The Board of Governors of NIT Srinagar also met today to discuss various issues about the institute.

"Among other issues, the demand of students that their marksheets be externally evaluated has also been there. Some more consultations can be held and feedback taken in this regard and a policy decision may be taken," a senior official said.

During the day today, three men from Delhi tried to enter the NIT campus for hoisting the national flag.

They were part of a group of about 150 people from Delhi who were intending to go to NIT but were detained in Jammu yesterday.

The three, who had given a slip to police and reached Srinagar, were detained just outside the main gate of the institute as they pulled out the national flag and tried to enter the campus, a police official said.

He said one of the detained person has been identified as Tejinder Singh Bagga.

"We have come from Delhi to hand over the tricolour to the students (for hoisting) but police has snatched the flags from us," Bagga told reporters before he was taken into custody.

He said over 150 activists had started from Delhi to march to the NIT but most of them were detained in Jammu. "Only three of us made it to Srinagar," he added.

Before being whisked away in a police vehicle, Bagga was confronted by some local residents who accused him of trying to vitiate the atmosphere in the NIT campus.

"Why have you come here? The students -- local or outstation -- all our children. They are our responsibility and we know how to take care of them. You need not come from so far away," a middle-aged man told Bagga.

NIT Srinagar has been at the centre of a controversy since April 1 when clashes broke out between outstation and local students following India's defeat to West Indies in the World Cup T20 semi-final.

The situation worsened on April 5 when outstation students tried to take out a march outside the campus but were stopped by the police, leading to incidents of violence including vandalism by students and lathicharge by police.

The students held protests against the police action, prompting the Union HRD ministry to send a team of officials to take defuse the situation.