BERHAMPUR: Students of English department, including MPhil scholars of Berhampur University, on Saturday staged a dharna demanding fulfilment of their 18-point charter of demands.
The students alleged that the HoD of English department had forced two girl researchers to do sit-ups.
Protesting the incident, they staged demonstration holding placards in front of the administrative block on the campus.
Following the dharna, staff in the block remained inside their offices. Later, Vice-Chancellor Prof RP Dash intervened and assured the students to look into their demands. The VC formed a peace committee comprising three senior teachers to resolve the issue.
However, HoD of English department Smruti Das said the allegations made by the students are baseless. As per the directive of the VC, the attendance of students and scholars are strictly monitored. The two scholars were reprimanded as they remained absent frequently, she added.