Students lay siege to office of Presidency VC

A section of Presidency University students laid siege to Vice Chancellor Anuradha Lohia's office, demanding clarity on the autonomy of admission tests conducted by the varsity's departments, a student said on Friday.

Lohia was forced to spend Thursday night in office after the students staged a sit-in demonstration in the evening, seeking an open forum meeting between students and faculty.

The siege was lifted on Friday afternoon.

The students wanted the authorities to address their concerns regarding the doing-away of individual tests conducted by the various departments.

"We wanted clarity on what is going to happen to the admission tests. Earlier we heard rumours that departments would be given autonomy on deciding whether they would conduct the tests or not. Tests have been going on since 1971," Trisha Chanda, general secretary of the varsity's students' council told IANS.

"What set us apart from other colleges was the quality of students that were admitted through these tests. We want a centralized system in place."

The students had submitted a request earlier for an open forum but were denied.

Chanda said the siege was lifted after the authorities granted an open discussion.