College principal, teachers gheraoed for 17 hours in Kolkata

Around 50 students of City College of Commerce and Business here gheraoed the principal and other faculty members for 17 hours, demanding that they be allowed to sit for first semester exams despite not meeting the required 60-per cent attendance.

The gherao at the evening college by B.Com first-year students began at around 9 pm on Friday night and was lifted at 2 pm on Saturday, following the intervention of Calcutta University authorities.

The protesters, however, vowed to continue their agitation if their demands were not met by Wednesday.

Principal Sandip Paul said the college will not succumb to the pressure tactics of a "small section of students who had abstained from classes most of the time", and asserted that no promise had been made about allowing those having lesser percentage to sit for exams.

Sutirtho Chatterjee, one of the agitating students, claimed their group was not allowed to fill-up forms for the first semester exams with poor attendance figure cited as reason, but many other students were not barred in spite of not having the requisite attendance.

"The rule should be uniform for everyone," he said.

Paul, however, denied the allegations.

A section of students of Heramba Chandra College, Shibnath Shastri College, Behala College, Gurudas College, Jaipuria College had recently agitated for the same reason.

The Calcutta University has made 60 per cent attendance mandatory for students of affiliated colleges writing the first semester exams under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).

State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has made it clear that agitation against the attendance figure was only taking place in six-seven colleges, while in other colleges, numbering over 100, there was no such issue.