COIMBATORE: Even after nearly 18 months, Bharathiar University has yet to issue course certificates and mark sheets to 16 postgraduate students who staged a black flag stir against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The students, who had staged the protest at the convocation ceremony in the presence of Governor Banwarilal Purohit, lamented that they were not being recruited by companies without the certificates. "I attended interviews at two private firms, but was unable to join without certificates while my batchmates have started working," one of the students told TNIE. "This has also caused a lot of mental stress to us and our families. A student even attempted suicide because of this."
The certificates were retained pending legal action after the Vadavalli police registered cases against the students. Hearing a plea filed by the students, the Madras High Court had quashed the cases on June 9, sources said.
A retired professor said that the University Grants Commission had issued several warnings to all educational institutions against retaining certificates of students.
When contacted, Bharathiar University Vice-Chancellor P Kaliraj said that the mark sheets and certificates would be distributed soon.