I am a student at OP Jindal Global University in Sonipat, one of the well-known universities in Haryana. It’s no secret that pollution in North India is hazardous, and air quality numbers are alarmingly high.Many of us are facing breathing issues on campus. Even today at noon, the AQI app showed readings over 400.Students have been falling sick since the beginning of November, as the air around campus has steadily worsened. There have been multiple cases of asthma being triggered, and students without any history of asthma are suffering from sinus trouble and a heavy chest. This situation is becoming increasingly serious. A friend of mine has been coughing up blood at night. She was diagnosed at the health centre on 9 November, and what happened to her has sparked panic across our university.Medical report of a 19-year-old student at OP Jindal University who complained of coughing up blood and was diagnosed at the university's Health Centre.All of us know that the tiny PM2.5 particles in this air go deep into the lungs and can enter the bloodstream. This is not just a short-term effect; it can have long-term consequences for us.Several schools have moved to a hybrid model due to such levels of pollution, but we, the students of JGU (Jindal Global University), are stuck on campus because of the exam.Some of our end-semester exams have already begun and will continue until 27 November. We cannot simply leave in the middle of our exams. How is that fair? Should students’ health be compromised for academic reasons?‘Switching to Online Exams Isn’t Difficult’In the era of technology, how difficult is it to switch to online exams? Since it’s very much doable to write exams remotely, we have requested the administration to switch to online mode, but our request has been denied.As students, we first went through proper channels. We emailed the administration asking for exams to be moved online until the air improved, and the Student Council ran a poll in which about 70 percent of students voted for remote exams.Not Just Delhi: Data Reveals New Pollution Hotspots Emerging Across IndiaWhen the administration refused, we had to resort to protest. On 10 November, we gathered on campus with the demand to switch exams to online mode and allow us to take the exam remotely. Since then, we have been protesting with our demands, but the administration isn't listening to us.The university denied the request, citing “academic integrity.” It called the decision “final” and told students to stop asking for online alternatives, without hearing us in person first. Most of us pay lakhs of rupees in fees, and at this point it feels like we are begging for our health.The Registrar’s emails since then have made things worse.Students protesting at OP Jindal University on 13 November.On 12 November, he wrote to all students that the decision was final, and told us to stop sending “repeated or coordinated” emails, and asked them not to involve people or organisations outside the university.He praised students sitting their exams for their “maturity” while saying a “small group” was pressuring others. But we weren’t small in number; 70 percent of students had already voted for remote exams.'Online Exams Are Not New for the University'This would not be the first time the university has moved exams online. Our last three end-semester exams were held remotely: first during the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, then because of pollution in November 2025, after a large student protest. The third time, in May 2026, the university decided on its own to keep the online mode, which many felt was unnecessary, and no student had asked for it.'BLOs on SIR Duty Denied Days Off, Even My Paternity Leave Came 3 Months Late'This semester, exams were moved to online mode inside classrooms. With more than 12,000 students, WiFi problems and the noise of typing proved unworkable, so students asked for pen and paper instead, which was perfectly reasonable. But none of us could have anticipated the air getting this bad.The management installed air purifiers, which help a little indoors but don’t solve the problem, because no one can stay in one room all day, least of all during exams. Once students started talking about the AQI, the AQI display monitors have stopped giving readings.The university also points to its health centre. That’s welcome, but a health centre is for after you fall sick. We are trying not to get sick in the first place.We are not asking to skip exams or for an easier mode of examination. We want to write the same exams from a place where it is safe to breathe.This problem does not arise during the spring semester, which runs from February to June. It occurs only during the fall semester, which runs from August to December. It would therefore be in the best interests of both students and the university to conduct fall semester exams online while holding spring semester exams normally on campus.We study law here. We’re taught that people deserve to be heard, that decisions need reasons, and that a healthy environment is part of the fundamental right to life. Is this how a globally ranked law school should treat its own students?Silencing Dia Mirza Won’t Clear Mumbai’s Air of Pollution and Hate'University Registrar To The Students'In a letter to students dated 12 November, the OP Jindal Global University Registrar acknowledged concerns over deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR and said the university was monitoring campus conditions and taking measures to safeguard students.However, he reiterated that the decision to conduct the Fall Semester 2026 end-term examinations in offline, pen-and-paper mode would stand, adding that all students were expected to follow the notified schedule.The Registrar said the university had considered students’ representations seeking online examinations but decided against changing the format, citing academic integrity, fairness and the need for consistent examination conditions.“Reopening the examination mode at this stage would undermine the certainty, consistency and fairness that students are entitled to expect,” the letter stated.The Registrar also said the university’s campus medical services remained available to students and advised those whose health concerns affected their ability to sit examinations to contact their respective School’s academic office.The letter further stated that the university respected students’ right to protest but described the disruption on campus on 10 November as unacceptable. The Registrar also said the university was investigating reports of alleged intimidation and pressure on students appearing for offline examinations.(The Quint has reached out to OP Jindal University for its response to the issues raised by the students. Its response is awaited. The story will be updated as and when the university responds.)(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)