Bhubaneswar: Students of Xavier University, Bhuba-neswar, (XUB) staged protests at the varsity on Tuesday alleging ambiguity in the grant of their degrees.

They said that they were promised degrees under the banner of the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhuba-neswar, (XIMB) and not the XUB.

"The XIMB logo and the name are used extensively right from the advertisement for XAT-2016 Entrance test, admission processes, admission bulletin for 2016, payment of fees, welcome address by the VC, issue of student's identity card and also in case of correspondence. There are several examples where the XIMB logo and the name are being used to get the students admitted for MBA course," said one of the protesting students.

A number of parents of the students also joined the agitation. "Denial of using the XIMB logo with name for the MBA degree for 2016-18 batch is a breach of trust and assurance which the institution has given to its students and recognised throughout the country," said P.K. Panda, the parent of a protesting student.

"Because of the demonstration, the authorities are being vindictive and autocratic and are punishing the students by deducting the already-declared marks in 4th, 5th and 6th semesters and making it 5.50 for 65 students in a discriminatory and arbitrary manner. They have also issued a conduct certificate with "unsatisfactory" remark for the same 65 students, defying all rules and regulations," said another student.

Xavier University, Bhubaneswar, (XUB) is a private university established in accordance with the Xavier University Odisha Act, 2013. Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, (XIMB), a 30-year old autonomous business school of the Xavier University, is the flagship school of the faculty of management of the same university.

The XUB has set up other schools of higher learning, such as the Xavier School of Human Resource Management (XAHR), the Xavier School of Rural Management (XSRM), the Xavier School of Sustainability (XSoS), the Xavier School of Commerce (XSC), the Xavier School of Communication (XCOMM), the Xavier School of Economics (XSE) and the Xavier School of Computer Science and Engineering (XCOMP). The University has also set up the Xavier Center for Urban Management & Governance (XUMG).

XUB registrar Father E.A. Augustine had earlier told The Telegraph that there was no ambiguity in awarding the degrees.