Darjeeling, Aug. 29: Students of Darjeeling Polytechnic Institute in Kurseong have gone on an indefinite strike in protest against a new circular on the examination system to be followed by the West Bengal State Council for Technical Education from this day.

Swati Banerjee, leader of the Students’ Forum that is spearheading the agitation, said: “We came to know only yesterday that students failing to secure the minimum pass marks in three or more subjects would have to repeat the semester all over again.”

A full term comprises two semesters, each consisting of six months.

The students are also demanding a rollback of the minimum pass marks of the course subjects.

Banerjee, a second-year student, said the proposal was “unacceptable” given that the pass mark for each subject was recently increased from 40 to 50.

In the past, the students were promoted even if they failed in three subjects, he said. A student simply had to clear the subject papers in the next semester.

“We feel that the increase of the pass marks was unfair and demand a roll back of the minimum pass marks to 35 per cent. That is followed in other engineering colleges,” he added.

Following the indefinite strike called by 350-odd students of the institute, no classes were held at the college today.

Later in the day, the students met the college authorities but failed to reach a consensus on the issue of pulling down the pass marks.

Dhurva Jung Tiwari, acting principal of the institute, said: “We had a long discussion with the students but they seem dissatisfied with the outcome.”

He, however, maintained that the students would have to repeat a semester only if they failed in four subjects and not three.

He added that the college authorities had been asked to send a modified circular.

Tiwari said he had already apprised the controller of examination of the WBSCTE of demands put forward by the students.

According to him, it was difficult to concede to the demands of a rollback of the minimum pass marks. As a result of this disagreement, he added, the meeting between the students and the college authorities had resulted in a stalemate.

According to the official, the controller had informed that in the modified circular the pass marks would be fixed at 45 per cent of the total marks.

“However, the students’ demand on this regard has not been accepted. I cannot do anything about the matter since it is the council which has to decide,” he said.

Banerjee has also appealed to other colleges in the Darjeeling to support their agitation.