The semester examinations of the engineering and technology faculty at Jadavpur University (JU) ended on Tuesday without a single examinee turning up and amid protests by union members, who continued their indefinite relay hunger strike.

?The second-year students had their semester examinations today, but no one turned up either on the main campus or at Salt Lake. Today was the last day of the examinations,? said Amit Chakraborty, general secretary of Faculty of Engineering and Technology Student?s Union (Fetsu).

The protest follows the university?s decision to suspend five students for varying terms, from one semester to four semesters, for their role in a campus agitation in 2003.

Fetsu members maintain that these students were penalised for being the most vocal against ?the loophole-riddled examination system? of the university.

The members held meetings with the university authorities on Tuesday to ensure that the future of final-year students is not affected due to the protests.

?We tried to make the authorities realise that the future of the final-year students would be hit hard. We have appealed to the them to allow the final-year students who skipped the first two semester examinations to sit for their tests again,? said a senior Fetsu member.

Students also submitted a memorandum to vice-chancellor Ashoknath Basu and dean of engineering and technology faculty Manoj Mitra, urging them to schedule another round of semester examinations for the final-year students.

The final-year students, too, have requested the authorities to hold the tests as early as possible, as many of them will be starting their professional careers in the first week of June.

?We are seriously contemplating how to deal with the students? problem. We need some time to reorganise the examinations. The demand will be discussed with all the bodies concerned, after which the new examination dates for the fourth-year students will be decided,? Mitra said.

The union members, however, said they would continue their movement, including the relay hunger strike, against the suspension decision of the authorities. They added that they would seek the support of students of other colleges and eminent personalities.

Members of different students? unions on Tuesday held a sit-in at College Square in support of the agitating university students. The demonstration started at 10 am and continued till 5 pm.

?Speakers from different walks of life spoke at the demonstration. All of them felt that the Jadavpur University authorities are trying to thwart democratic movements,? said a participant.