Fighting the system: Law students take to streets against ‘incorrect’ marking

Block Canal Road until varsity holds negotiations with protesters

LAHORE: Hundreds of students from the Punjab University Law College took to the streets to protest incorrect marking of one of the papers. The students began their protest outside the law college but later blocked Canal Road along with students from other departments who were protesting a fee hike.

The students protested against the college administration, in which they claimed that the university had knowingly failed students in one of the exams. They said that around 70% students failed in the same examination. The students demanded re-checking of the paper and enquiry against those who were responsible for knowingly failing students.

The students blocked the Canal Road for about two hours which caused a massive traffic jam in the city. The university administration held negotiations with protesters, after which they agreed to end their protest.



The Punjab University spokesman in a statement said a fact-finding committee was already investigating the failure of a large number of candidates in one specific paper of LLB Part-II, however, according to him there were other reasons behind the protest.

He said the students’ actual demand was to take back expulsion decision of a few recently expelled students from the law university, hence, they were trying to pressurise the administration through such tactics. “The university administration would cower to any pressure,” he added.

The spokesman said that the fact finding committee was working on resolution of the problem as per law which would take some time so there was no reason to stage a protest demonstration and create problems for the public.

The spokesman further said the university had extended the date to apply for supplementary examinations by November 25.

The students had earlier staged a sit-in in front of the law college, after which the university administration agreed to probe the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2016.