Five students, who had been protesting for the past three days in front of the centenary building, University of Madras, demanding action against the head of the Department of Archaeology, have been suspended.
The fourth semester students had alleged that a professor had given them low scores in the internal assessment due to which they had failed in the exams.
Re-evaluation demand
The students had demanded that their papers be re-evaluated by an external examiner.
On March 18, the students staged a sit-in alleging that the HoD had misbehaved with a girl student when she asked the professor about her poor scores.
The university has set up a committee to investigate the issue. “The disciplinary committee of the university said the students not only created a nuisance but also misused the premises,” an official said.
A senior official said the activities of the students and their behaviour with the university officials had forced them to take the decision.
“The students were assessed by another professor in the department but the HoD was being targeted. Besides, the students were behaving rudely with the professor, which the committee found unacceptable. There was no truth in the students’ allegation,” the official said.