Journalism of Courage
The University of Pune (UoP) has written to the City Police Commissioner and SPs of Pune,Ahmednagar and Nashik districts requesting police help if principals and supervisors of any college affiliated to the varsity feel it is required. The move is aimed at curbing copying and a precautionary measure in the wake of the recent bomb blast in the city.
The university conducts examinations from March to July. This year,the exams will start from March 23. It is routine to inform police about the exam schedule and seek help whenever required. However,this time,instead of colleges writing to the police individually,the varsity decided to write to the commissioner and other officers as a representative of the colleges, said SM Ahire,controller of examinations,UoP.
This year it is more critical,keeping in mind the recent blast. As there will be a lot of students on campus during the exams,police presence will be necessary, said Dilip Sheth,principal of S P College. He said college authorities inform the nearby police station every year and would do so this time. On Saturday,police convened a meeting of hoteliers,shop owners and college authorities where they briefed us about the precautions to be taken. We will implement measures during the examination, he said.
There are 400 examin centres. The letter from the UoP says,Police have helped principals and supervisors of many colleges in the past for smooth conduct of university exams. We request you to extend the same support this year too whenever needed and also inform the police officers concerned regarding this.
Police help is also necessary to control instances of copying. This is especially so in rural areas where mass copying takes place often, said a UoP official.
