Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, students stormed Twitter on Tuesday, expressing their concerns using #JusticeForStudents and demanding a firm decision over the cancellation of final year exams in Maharashtra. The trend started by the Maharashtra Students Union (MASU) at 1pm on Tuesday gained momentum. Within five hours, there were over 50,000 tweets with the same hashtag in lockdown 5.0.
This quarantine trend on Twitter was initiated against the silence of the Maharashtra government, including its chief minister and governor, on the issue despite repeated appeals. Suchitra Pandeshwar, a student said, "Our health is more important than exams. We cannot risk our lives as COVID-19 cases are only increasing by the day."
Hitesh Sharma, another student, said, "Just because we are silent, the authorities cannot play with our lives. The magnitude of deaths due to the virus is horrific. Why is the governor forcing us to appear for exams in such a risky situation?" While Tanya Marcel, another student said, "The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled universities abroad to cancel exams. But here, the governor and state government are having a political tussle over the examination without listening to the concerns of students."
In lockdown 5.0, MASU wrote a letter to the CM on June 3, demanding an official order regarding exam cancellation considering the pandemic. Further, MASU wrote a letter to the governor, dated June 6, demanding an urgent meeting to end exam stress among students who are quarantined at home due to the lockdown.
Siddharth Ingle, founder president of MASU, said, "The state seems to be deaf to the concerns of students, as we have not received a response from the CM or the governor. If we do not get a firm decision soon, we will fight this battle legally. If any student falls prey to COVID-19 on being forced to appear for exams during the lockdown, we will issue a case of culpable homicide on the concerned state authorities "
In addition, the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Students' Union wrote a letter to the governor on June 7, appealing for the cancellation of exams amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, but to no avail. Kamalakar Shete, founder of SPPU, said, "The virus may jeopardise the lives of students. We plan to go on a hunger strike during the lockdown and file a petition amidst the pandemic if there is no firm decision."
