Angry students cry foul over marking system

Students of first year law in ILS College, who knew Saumitra Dhoble closely, said that it was highly impossible that Saumitra scored zero marks in History as they had seen him taking extra supplements while writing the subject’s paper. Saumitra, a 19-year-old ILS College student, committed suicide at his residence in Nagpur after knowing that he got zero marks in the History and five marks in English.

Meanwhile, the students of the first, second, third and forth year of BSL, LLB are fuming over the procedure of evaluating the answer sheets and demanded immediate reforms in the evaluation process. The students said that every year, there is one specific subject in which majority of students either fail or barely pass.

In the first year, majority of students have failed in History, but Saumitra received literally zero marks.

“There are approximately 60 per cent students who have failed in History subject and there are quite a big number of students who have managed to get passing marks like 40,” said a first year student, who received 40 marks, which he thinks was unbelievable.

Another girl student who knew Saumitra said, “We all get admission here on the basis of merit and it is impossible to receive zero marks in the subject in which we had scored above 80 in HSC,” she said, adding, “As far Saumitra was concerned, I saw him taking extra supplement for the History paper and it is hard to believe that someone like him will get zero marks.”

A second year student from ILS college said that in the second year batch, the subject in which majority of students have failed is Political Science. “If we look at the pattern of getting marks in the political science paper, there are more than 25 students, who have their role numbers consecutively, have received 28 marks. It shows how papers are being checked. It is hard to believe that all 25 students will receive 28 marks,” she said. The students said that this is the common phenomena every year as every year students get very less marks in any subject and when they go for revaluation process, the results come positive. Several other college students have cried foul over the same issue.

Fact finding process initiated

In order to see the pattern in which the students have received marks, the college will appoint two students per year to collate the data of marks. They will see if there is any pattern, how the students received the marks and after analysing the marks’ patterns, the college will approach the University of Pune’s examination department. Only after that it will be appropriate to comment on the issue, said Vaijayanti Joshi, the principal of ILS law college. The dean of the university’s law faculty, Dr Rashid Shaikh, said he was not aware of the issue and asked to contact the examination department.

Not even a call from college, says family

“It has been now five days since Saumitra took the extreme step, however to date, we have not received a single call from the college authorities which shows how insensitive they are,” says Mahendra Balpande, his brother-in-law relative. Saumitra was from CBSE and had a good command over English, so he can never get zero marks, he said.