- More than 3000 students of 20 law colleges in the eastern
Indian state of Orissa have boycotted their final university examination
and demonstrated in protest against a ban on copying.
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- The students turned against teachers when they were stopped
from copying inside examination halls this week.
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- Authorities called in police for help.
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- "On frisking in the presence of the police, we found
almost all students carrying books and photocopied notes hidden on their
body," education official Radhanath Mishra, said from the state capital
of Bhubaneswar.
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- "We asked them to hand over all the illegally smuggled
study materials. But they did not listen to us."
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- When authorities seized the smuggled notes and books
with the help of police, the students turned violent and left the examination
halls in protest.
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- According to reports, students of almost all law colleges
ready to take the same examination around the state protested in a similar
way demanding they be allowed to "resort to cheating" during
the examination.
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- Students of the University Law College of Bhubaneswar
and Madhusudan Law College of Cuttack blocked the Calcutta-Madras national
highway for more than three hours and burnt tyres protesting against the
authority's decision to be "strict" during law exams this year.
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- Angry students told the community's TV station they wanted
authorities to restart the examinations and let them continue the exams
the way they had been "for years".
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- In response to a public interest litigation filed by
some activists, the state's highest court recently directed the higher
education authority to put a total ban on widespread malpractice in the
law examinations.
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- It is believed the order from the court made the authorities
crack down on cheating.
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- "For the authorities, it is not an easy job to stamp
out cheating, which seems to have become a deep-rooted tradition in law
examinations here," lawyer-activist Biswajit Mahanty said from Bhubaneswar.
- http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6726733%255E954,00.html
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