The decision was taken by the Academic Committee of the department yesterday.

Earlier, on the day, students requested departmental chairman Prof Abu Hanif Sheikh and other teachers to cancel the day's examination due to serious illness of a female student.

But ignoring it, the teachers went to the examination hall and distributed examination scripts and question papers among the examinees.

Hearing the news, agitated students went to the examination hall and ransacked it. They also allegedly assaulted the chairman and two teachers, Prof Abdul Wahab and Lecturer Moniruzzman.

Students threatened to launch a tougher agitation against the chairman if any action is taken against them.

A departmental teacher said to this correspondent on condition of anonymity that action would be taken against the agitated students.

Police have been deployed in front of the department to avert any untoward incident.