Patna, June 20: Patna University has decided to emulate the Delhi University (DU) model to go about the admissions for the sports quota.

Colleges under Patna University receive plenty of applications under the sports quota during admissions every year. However, in several cases, it has been found that these applications are accompanied by letters from top bureaucrats and even from leaders of various political parties asking to admit students of their choice.

In the past few years, there have been several such instances of gross irregularities in the students’ admission under the quota system.

Though the university authorities claim to have maintained transparency during admission under the sports and fine arts quotas, there have been several instances where the students have attached fake documents of participation in sports meets.

In several cases, it has been found that the students do not have any association with any sports association.

“Patna University is taking a leaf out of DU to go about the admission of students under the sports quota,” a source in the university told The Telegraph.

This year, DU has decided to be strict with the col- leges under the university, deciding to engage experts to manage the sports assessments of the students.

Dean of students’ welfare at Patna University P.K. Poddar said: “Admission under sports quota will be strict this year. Students who plan to take admission under the quota will have to go through trials in the respective sports in the presence of the sports committee of the university.”

Poddar further said students applying under the quota would have to submit their applications along with certificates of recognised sports bodies followed by trials of students in the respective sports.

A member of Patna University syndicate said: “Though the university claims of maintaining a transparency in the admission of students under the quota, only a handful candidates are admitted on a genuine basis.”

According to the university guidelines, every college has to take two per cent of its total seats under the sports quota and the admission process begins after the general category admission is completed.

Sources said this year, with the reduction in seats in all colleges under Patna University, the students who would not be able to get through any college would try their best to get through the institutions under the sports quota.

Various students’ bodies in the university have been raising the issue of transparency in the sports quota time and again.

Rakesh Kumar, a student leader at Patna University, said: “Apart from bringing transparency in the admission of students under the quota, the sports infrastructure in the university should also be improved.”

Kumar said in the past few years, the university did not organise any major sports event. “This, together with lack of proper sports infrastructure, has been a major cause of dissent among the students,” he said.

Last year, the university witnessed unpleasant scenes after the authorities decided to abolish the sports quota in the BEd course.