Love letters for answers, lyrics for law: Students suspended for exam frivolity | Kolkata - Hindustan Times
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Love letters for answers, lyrics for law: Students suspended for exam frivolity

Hindustan Times | BySreyasi Pal, Malda
Apr 28, 2017 11:56 AM IST

A university in West Bengal suspended 10 students, including three women, for two years for writing ‘nonsense’. All of them are fourth-semester law students.

“Tu shayar hain main teri shayeri..,” wrote one student.

The Gour Banga University started functioning from the academic year of 2008 and it serves students of the North Bengal districts of Malda, Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur.(Photo from the university website)
The Gour Banga University started functioning from the academic year of 2008 and it serves students of the North Bengal districts of Malda, Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur.(Photo from the university website)

“O kakhono amar katha sune chole na, o sudhu nijer kothai chale (she does not listen to what I say, she follows her own whims),” wrote another and proceeded to describe some examples of her whims.

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When the students of Balurghat Law College in the north Bengal district of Malda were writing their real life break-up stories, they might have thought of attracting appreciation for articulating their anguish. Those who didn’t have a heartbreak to share, chose to write lyrics of famous Hindi and Bengali songs. Yet others, who could not remember any romantic lyric, penned down abusive words.

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But all the 10 students made the mistake of choosing the wrong time and canvas to pour their hearts out -- they wrote on the answer scripts of the university’s fourth semester exams and handed over the sheets to the teachers.

The authorities of the university responded sharply to the misadventure of aspiring interpreters of the law. On Wednesday, they suspended the 10 students, including three women, for two years for writing ‘nonsense’. They are fourth semester students.

Read: Caught on camera: Teacher helping students cheat in Haryana Class 10 board exam

As many as 181 students of the law college appeared for the second semester exam and 72 students wrote the fourth semester exam late last year. The results were published on January 15 and it was found that only 25 students cleared the second semester and only one passed the fourth semester exam. A good number of students also scored a perfect zero.

Stung by the results, the heartbroken students vandalised the law college and the chamber of acting principal Durjay Kumar Deb alleging their answer sheets were not evaluated properly.

The authorities, to say the least, were shocked first at the performance and then defiance.

Justifying their decision Gopal Chandra Mishra, the vice chancellor of Gour Banga University, told HT, “It is clear from the answer sheets that the students didn’t have the foggiest idea of the answers. They wrote nonsense and even abusive language to kill time in the hall. They should have a clear idea what is legal and what is illegal. Vandalising an institution is also illegal.”

Read: Mass cheating: College principal, teachers fined to ‘set a precedent’

Mass cheating in exams is not rare in Bengal, but college students writing love stories and lines from songs instead of answers does not have a precedence the authorities could think of.

“We have decided to suspend the candidature of the 10 students for two years for writing all those in the answer sheets. But we are not cancelling their registration number to give them a second chance. They can take readmission in the same course after two years. If we had left the offenders unpunished more students could have behaved in the same way,” added the VC.

College sources said, the examination monitoring committee of the university formed a sub-committee to probe the whole matter. The committee found 10 students guilty of writing all that in their answer sheets.

The committee summoned the 10 students to record their statement. Eight appeared and admitted their offence. But two never turned up.

According to the rules, the students will not get admission to any regular course of any university in the next two years. But they can enrol for distance learning courses.

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