What was meant to be a proud day for students of Haridev Joshi University turned into anger, protest and public embarrassment on Wednesday after chaos broke out during its convocation ceremony in Jaipur.
The controversy began during the university’s third convocation ceremony, held at the Haridev Joshi University, where only gold medalists were reportedly invited on stage to receive their degrees.
A total of 271 students were invited to the ceremony from the batches of the last two years.
It was during this phase that one student, Sara Ismail, voiced what many in the hall appeared to be feeling.
While receiving her certificate on stage, she said: “Thank you for inviting and insulting us.”
Her video is trending on social media where she is showing the outrage against the university management.
The remark, delivered in the presence of top officials and guests, quickly drew attention and has since gone viral on social media.
Sara later said the issue was not a small logistical lapse but a deeply emotional one. Students work for years to earn a degree, she argued, and when they are made to feel excluded or disrespected on the very day meant to honour that effort, it leaves them hurt and demoralised.
A large number of other students, despite attending the event in convocation dress and in the presence of their families, were not initially given the same opportunity.
That decision soon triggered resentment inside the venue.
Students alleged that they had come to the ceremony with their parents and relatives after spending years completing their degrees, only to find that many of them would not be called to the dais.
PROTEST BEGAN AFTER STUDENTS WERE DENIED THE STAGE
As disappointment turned into protest, the atmosphere at the venue became tense. Students raised slogans, objected to the arrangements and demanded that all degree recipients be given a fair chance to receive their certificates on stage.
The situation escalated further after the event, when some students reportedly protested near the convoy of Premchand Bairwa, who was present at the ceremony. According to accounts from the venue, the protest intensified to the point that police personnel had to intervene.
Following the uproar, senior officials, including the Vice-Chancellor and dignitaries present at the event, returned to address the situation. Degrees were then distributed to the remaining students as well.
For many families in the audience, the convocation was supposed to be a moment of pride.
Instead, for several students, it became a reminder that poor planning at an institution can overshadow years of hard work in a matter of minutes.
