KOLKATA: Calcutta University Vice-Chancellor Sonali Chakraborty Banerjee today said there was no scope for dialogue with a section of agitating students, who have been demanding permission to appear for first and third semester examinations despite inadequate attendance.
Banerjee, who has not left the campus since 8 pm yesterday, told PTI that the protesting post-graduate students did not have the required attendance percentage, and the varsity cannot bend its rules to accommodate them.
"While we allow students having 65 per cent attendance figures and even can allow those having at least 55 per cent attendance, 78 students of the Bengali Department did not even have the 55 per cent attendance.We cannot allow these people," she said.
"Rules are rules and these are not meant to be broken," the VC asserted.
A few students of the department have been holding a sit-in at the varsity for over 20 hours in support of their demand.
Banerjee said Calcutta University was firm on holding the first and third semester examinations from February 27 for the 800 candidates cleared to sit for the tests.
One of the 30 agitating students said, "Many a time teachers do not take classes but mark attendance sheets sitting in the staff room.
If the students are penalised on attendance issue, why are not the teachers subjected to scrutiny?" They said the sit-in will continue, but "we won't stop our teachers or the VC or other varsity officials from leaving".