OU students ransack V-C office, demand release of PhD admission notification

Hyderabad: Demanding release of PhD admission notification, students on Thursday gheraoed the Osmania University Vice Chancellor, Prof.D.Ravinder and ransacked his office.

The students also demanded the university administration to hold the PhD admissions as per the old procedure which was followed in 2017 and 2011 instead of the proposed new rules i.e., on merit basis. What started as discussion between students and officials in the VC’s chamber turned into heated arguments with police arresting several students.

According to the student organisations, the university has not issued a PhD admission notification for the last five years. “For the last six months, we have been pressing our demand for issuance of PhD admission notification. We represented the issue to the Vice Chancellor several times. However, our efforts went in vain,” OU SFI general secretary, Ravi Naik said.

“Since five years there was no PhD admission. The procedure of admitting students on rank basis secured in the entrance test will deprive several SC, ST and BC students of their chance to pursue PhD. We demand the university to continue the admission procedure which was followed in 2017 i.e, declaring all qualified in the entrance to be eligible for admission,” OUJAC-TSJAC general secretary Vijayender Pawar said and warned that if police file cases against them, the student organizations would further intensify their stir including calling for campus bandh.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Prof. Ravinder said students wanted the old procedure i.e., declaring all qualified candidates in the entrance test to be eligible for admission. However, the university wants the admissions to be done based on the merit secured in the entrance test.

“PhD admissions are not PG admissions to be done every year. It is done as and when vacancies arise. The admissions before 2017 were cancelled and new vacancies have been created for which the university is planning to release a notification. When I mentioned that the deans meeting will decide the issue, they wanted an immediate solution. They behaved very rudely and ransacked the office as well,” Prof Ravinder added.