Fake job offer: SOA students call off hunger stir, dean arrested

Bhubaneswar: The Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (SOA) University students, who were on an indefinite hunger strike since yesterday, called off their stir this morning following assurance from the varsity Vice-Chancellor. The Commissionerate Police has also arrested ITER Dean (Placement) Raj Kishore Hota for his alleged involvement in the fake placement issue.

The Vice-Chancellor Prof Amit Banerjee assured the students to provide Rs 20,000 monthly stipend for a year to each student who has been cheated and new job in three months. The VC gave the assurance to the students on stamp paper. The students had launched fast unto death near the ITER college gate yesterday protesting the silence of the varsity authorities over the fake job offer issue.

It may be mentioned here that around 50 students, who were selected by Gurgaon-based Huawei during a recruitment drive in the SOA University, found their offer letters to be fake and returned without getting jobs. Not only Huawei, as many as 400 students were also given fake offer letters from companies like Mitsubishi, Intel and Honeywell.