Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad (UoH) on Thursday said the suspension period of seven students, who faced the action for allegedly manhandling and abusing faculty wardens, has been brought down to six weeks from six months.

The university, however, said there is no change in the two-year suspension period of three other students, who were also allegedly involved in the incident. On November 8, the UoH had suspended the 10 students for a period ranging from six months to two years from the academic programmes and the hostel facilities for "preventing" wardens from discharging their duties on November 3.

These students had then made an appeal to the Vice-Chancellor. Pending consideration of their appeals by the Executive Council (EC), the university had earlier decided to keep the suspension order in abeyance and permitted them to appear for the end semester exams.

"After due deliberations, the EC decided to reduce the suspension period of seven students from six months to six weeks. With respect to three students whose suspension was for two years, the EC took a serious view of their actions and blatant disregard of the University rules, and confirmed the earlier order," the varsity said in a release. In both the cases, the students will not be entitled to hostel admission upon resumption of their studies, it said.

According to the UoH, the team had found a girl student in a male boarder's room against hostel rules. "When the Wardens asked them for their identity cards, they refused to comply and began raising a hue and cry and started shouting slogans. This attracted many other students who surrounded the room and began hurling abuses and shouting slogans too," the varsity said.

"They switched off the lights and manhandled wardens in the dark. While the students confined the wardens in the room for a long period, they also blocked other wardens from the ground floor from approaching this room," it added. The UoH on Thursday reiterated that it becomes the responsibility of the institution to provide an atmosphere where men and women study and work together harmoniously, while protecting their respective spaces in a manner that is satisfactory and comforting to incoming students and their parents.

"No university in the world functions without a code of conduct for its students, violation of which attracts disciplinary action," it added. The suspended students have stated that the allegations against them are "baseless" and "manipulated".

PTI