According to the 2016 UGC regulation, which was implemented by Delhi University in 2017 made into an ordinace, where a student needs to score atleast 50% in entrance exam conducted to qualify for MPhil and PhD interviews. The announcement was followed by huge chaos. Also, the varsity postponed interviews for the courses which left the students in middle of nowhere.

A student named Mohammad Asim (24) secured 17 rank in the other backward class (non creamy layer) category, where he scored 88 marks out of 196 in the entrance exam for MPhil (History). However, because of new guidelines he needed to score atleast 98 marks in order to be eligible for the interview.

There are more students like Asim who are left unattended, since the interviews were postponed by the university. The students are confused whether they are going to get admission in DU or not.

After appealing to the authorities several times, on Wednesday, close to 15 students sat on a hunger strike at DU’s Arts Faculty, demanding that varsity should eliminate the ordinance. The students have also tried to seek help from Delhi High Court.

No steps have been taken by the authorities to come up with a detailed outline of the mechanism to ensure that the interviews takes place. Many students’s career is at stake here if the varsity soon does not take steps to control the damage caused by the ordinance.

According to a resource, the decision to postpone the interviews by taken on the direct orders from Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and a high level meeting.

The students of reserved categories may get 5% relaxation, but the question is, if 5% relaxation is going to help the students at all when there are departments where there are no general category students?