J-K Police fire tear smoke shells to disperse students protesting ‘mass failure’

Students from several colleges assembled at the Maulana Azad Road in Srinagar and blocked the traffic, demanding they be given back the papers they had written for their first semester examinations last year.

Police fired tear smoke shells on Monday to disperse a group of female students who were protesting against Kashmir University authorities for their “mass failure” in the examinations for which results were declared last week, officials said.

The officials said that the police tried to persuade the protesting students to disperse peacefully, but in vain. The cops then fired tear smoke shells to disperse the students. (AP File Photo)

Students from several colleges assembled at the Maulana Azad Road in Srinagar and blocked the traffic, demanding they be given back the papers they had written for their first semester examinations last year, they said.

The officials said that the police tried to persuade the protesting students to disperse peacefully, but in vain.

The cops then fired tear smoke shells to disperse the students, they said.

Talking to reporters, the students said they did not want re-evaluation or rechecking of their papers.

“We want to see our papers first. How can all the students fail? I think they have lost the answer sheets,” one of the students said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Kashmir University said that the “poor results” were due to students not completing the formalities like filling the OMR answer sheet correctly.

He said that the evaluation of answer scripts is exclusively done at the college-level.

“Lapses, if any, found on part of the invigilating or supervisory staff, shall be recommended for appropriate action under rules,” the spokesperson added.