Shimla, July 8 (PTI) The Students' Federation of India (SFI) on Tuesday held a protest against the recent hacking of the Himachal Pradesh University's (HPU) official website and demanded immediate action from the university administration.

The HPU's official website was hacked by unknown hackers on Monday after which the website was shut down for maintenance.

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The HPU unit of the SFI also called for the complete removal of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

SFI campus joint secretary Naved said the hacking incident exposed serious negligence and technical mismanagement on the part of the university. He said students first noticed suspicious activity on the official HPU website, which was later confirmed to be a cyberattack by unidentified hackers.

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"As a result, several key sections of the website became inaccessible, affecting academic records, examination information and the ongoing admission process," he said.

"This isn't just a technical glitch. It's a direct threat to the future of thousands of students," said Naved, adding, "The administration's failure to implement effective cybersecurity measures and the delay in informing students after the breach is deeply irresponsible."

He said the hacking of a prestigious institution like HPU is a matter of grave concern. "It shows the administration's complete disregard for cybersecurity and the protection of students' personal data," he added.

Criticising the ERP system introduced in 2014, Naved said it was meant to simplify administrative processes for students but has become a burden instead.

"Due to ERP-related issues, students often have to travel long distances to the university to resolve problems. Rather than easing the process, it has led to widespread inconvenience and harassment," he said.

The SFI has warned the university authorities that if no concrete steps are taken immediately, they will initiate a statewide student movement to press their demands.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)