KATHMANDU, Sept 20: Students at Mahendra Morang Campus in Biratnagar set fire to a vehicle belonging to the Tribhuvan University Office of the Controller of Examinations (Regional) early Wednesday morning.
Reports suggest that the protesting students were agitated over an alleged exchange of answer sheets from an examination held in November 2021 within the Faculty of Humanities. A female student's English answer sheet is said to have been switched, leading to her subsequent failure in the exam.
The student organization claims that Rajan Dutt, the examination guard, swapped the answer sheets of the female student with that of his daughter. This action ultimately resulted in the student's failure, intensifying the protest.
Students torch govt vehicle in Biratnagar
Frustration mounted after the campus administration required the affected student to retake the exam and subsequently delayed the release of results. Attempts at resolution were made through a discussion between the agitating students, Mahendra Morang Campus Chief Baburam Timalsina, and Dilli Prasai, Assistant Controller of Examinations of Tribhuvan University at Biratnagar Campus on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the discussion did not yield a resolution.
In a bid to escalate their demands, the protesting students locked both Timalsina and Prasai within the campus office. They were eventually rescued by law enforcement at 1 PM.
Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Ranjan Dahal confirmed that this was not the first act of protest. The students had also demonstrated their discontent on Tuesday night as well, culminating in the burning of the exams control office vehicle the following morning.
