Students lay siege to Amity varsity in Haryana

Hundreds of students Tuesday laid siege to the Amity University campus in Haryana's Manesar town, blocking the entry of staff members after nearly 100 pupils were declared failed by the institution, officials said.

University students locked the main gate of the institution, and were joined by members of the National Students' Union of India and pupils from other institutions.

"There was a lock-out in the Amity's Manesar campus. There was nearly a kilometre-long lane of traffic as the main gate was locked by agitators," a student told IANS. "It looks like the administration is not bothered about the future of students. We will intensify the protest until our demands are met," he added.

Additional police force has been deployed, though the agitation was peaceful, police said. "We will not allow any one to disturb the situation," said a senior police officer deployed outside the university.

Many students returned home after waiting for hours outside the university gate. Earlier this month, over 100 students from the first and second year of various courses were declared failed by the university administration. Last week, the administration said it was not possible to roll back the decision and the students who failed to perform up to the mark will have to repeat the academic year.

"Declared failed students scored very less marks in the examinations. Many of them just got 10-15 percent marks. How can they be allowed to sit in the next classes," Savita Mehta, a senior media official from Amity, told IANS.

"The administration also offered them to take a year-long academic break and appear in the examination next year. Only a few students and some outsiders were trying to disturb the peaceful environment of the campus, she said.

IANS