BARIPADA: The fourth semester MBA examination in Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanjadeo University here was postponed by the authorities after students staged a dharna protesting offline examination and demanding online mode as more than 20 inmates of a ladies hostel tested positive for Covid-19 in last two days.
The fourth semester MBA offline examinations began on Monday. As the students picketed at the entrance, they did not allow any employee into the university campus. The students said, as per rules, the university should not be conducting offline examination in the wake of students getting affected by Covid. But the offline exams began from Monday putting students future at stake, they alleged.
“The test reports revealed that as many as 20 girls out of 100 in the hostel have tested positive for Covid-19. In such a situation, offline examination is helping spread the infection as no precautionary measures are taken by the authorities. Not only are other students getting infected but also those affected remain deprived of appearing the exams, alleged students Abhishek Panda,” Subhajit Pani and Manisha Panda.
“I am sure more cases will be reported as Covid test has not been done for those who are appearing the exams with the affected students. No treatment is also being provided to the inmates in hostels even after the hostel superintendent and other authorities were informed,” alleged Pani.
Vice-Chancellor Kishore Kumar Basa maintained that after students tested positive, the matter was taken to the authorities in the Higher Education department, but they instructed to continue with offline examination. “The university has postponed the exam of two papers of the MBA department and other exams which were scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday. The exams will be conducted after further orders by the university,” the VC stated.
The dharna, however, continued till 5 pm.