Siliguri, May 11: The SFI today said it would write to higher education minister Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury against the principal of Siliguri Government Polytechnic College for debarring 37 first-year students from attending examinations “in contravention of the rules”.

The SFI members will also continue with their demonstration that has been going on for the past three days on the college premises. They are protesting against the principal, Pujan Sarkar, for not allowing the students to fill up the forms for second-semester examination because of low attendance.

“The rules laid down by the West Bengal State Council for Technical Education do not say anywhere that colleges have the right to stop students from writing exams because of low percentage of attendance,” Sudip Roy Choudhury, the district general secretary of the SFI, the student wing of the CPM, said.

“Chapter III of the examination rules issued by the Council states that a student shall be awarded marks in accordance with his attendance (five marks for 80 per cent attendance, four for 75, three for seventy, two for 65 per cent and one for 60 per cent) in the theory papers. It is nowhere mentioned that a student can be penalised for not having the desired percentage of classes attended. The academic council (teachers’ council) of the college is working against the directives of the state council and necessary steps must be taken by the authorities,” said Sudip. He, however, ruled out strike as a means of protest.

The SFI leader alleged that there has not been a single meeting of the governing body, the only forum where students’ representatives are present, in the past one year.

Sudip said since Sarkar was the in-charge of Kurseong Polytechnic College and Tung Industrial Training Institute, he could not give his best to the Siliguri college. Sarkar could not be contacted.