Students have also moved the Delhi High Court seeking relief.
Mohammad Asim (24) had scored 88 out of 196 in the entrance exam for MPhil in History at Delhi University, ranking 17 in the Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) category. But he needed to score 98 to qualify for an interview, as per new rules that mandate 50% marks to be eligible.
A 2016 UGC regulation, implemented by DU in 2017 and made into an ordinance, made it mandatory for students to score atleast 50% in entrance exams to qualify for MPhil and PhD interviews. Following an uproar, the university postponed interviews for the courses, leaving students like Asim in a limbo.
Tired of running from pillar to post, close to 15 students sat on a hunger strike at DU’s Arts Faculty on Wednesday, demanding that the university scrap the ordinance. “It is not just the reserved category students who are suffering, but many general category students haven’t qualified as well. It looks like I will end up wasting a year as I have not applied anywhere else,” said Asim, who has completed his Masters from DU’s History department.
Students have also moved the Delhi High Court seeking relief.
DU officials have also been unable to provide a timeline for the next interviews and steps taken to help students. As per a source, the decision to postpone the interview was taken following orders from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and a high-level meeting. The source added that the university is considering giving 5% relaxation to reserved category students.
“The 5% relaxation is not going to help. There are departments where there are no general category students, what can be done about it?” said another aspirant, Rahul Kumar.