Jadavpur: A second-year postgraduate student of international relations on hunger strike since Friday night was hospitalised on Monday afternoon after she felt dizzy and nauseous, which doctors later said were symptoms of a drop in blood sugar and pressure.

Somashree Choudhury, 22, was put on oxygen support and a saline drip, her mother told Metro after visiting her in the fourth-floor female ward of KPC Medical College & Hospital. "Doctors might keep her in the hospital for a couple of days at least. They have told us that we can give her liquids (soup)," Sujata Choudhury said.

Somashree and 19 other students of Jadavpur University have been on an indefinite hunger strike since 11pm on Friday in protest against the executive council's decision to scrap entrance tests in six undergraduate arts courses. The prod for an admission system based on Class XII scores came from the education minister.

Although concerned about her daughter's health, Sujata said Somashree had done the right thing by being at the forefront of the agitation. "It is for a cause and it is important for good students to be part of a student agitation and voice their protest.... There is a risk in any movement, but if you are part of it you have to complete it."

An alumnus of Carmel High School, Somashree had joined Jadavpur University in 2014 as an undergraduate student of international relations. An hour before she was taken ill, she had outlined her reasons for joining the agitation.

"When I joined the university back in 2014, I came in through an admission procedure (entrance exams) that is being jeopardised. I want to ensure that the future generation of students have a proper environment.... Through this protest, we want to uphold the university's autonomy," Somashree said.

After Somashree was hospitalised, the heads of 11 departments and a dean wrote to vice-chancellor Suranjan Das with a request to convene a meeting of the executive council to end the deadlock. "It may not be out of place to mention here that one of the students on hunger strike, Somashree Choudhury, chairperson, Arts Faculty Students' Union, has only just been been admitted to hospital.... Sir, without your urgent intervention, we fear for our students' health and are apprehensive that the situation on the campus will deteriorate further," the letter states.