Calcutta University is exploring the option of holding the undergraduate third semester examinations, scheduled to start on March 23, on its own campuses because the central armed police force (CAPF) has already taken over many colleges identified as test centres, the registrar said.
Many affiliated colleges have written to the university, alerting authorities that the forces had taken possession of their buildings.
A CU official said they are concerned about the prospect of holding examinations at colleges taken over by the CAPF.
Even holding classes has become difficult in these colleges.
CU registrar Debasis Das said the university’s inspector of colleges was conducting a survey to identify the colleges least affected and able to hold examinations.
“We are also exploring the option of holding examinations on the university campuses as part of an alternative arrangement. If the examinations cannot be held on time, the entire academic calendar will get disrupted,” the registrar said.
The examinations will end on April 8.
The Election Commission deploys CAPF to ensure peaceful polls. Over the past few years, the CAPF has been deployed in Bengal much ahead of the announcement of polls.
The teacher in charge of Charuchandra College in south Calcutta, Anuradha Ghosh, said CAPF personnel entered the college on March 3.
“They have virtually taken over the entire college building, forcing us to switch to online classes. Under such circumstances, how can the examinations be held in our college? We have informed the university about this,” said Ghosh.
“On March 6, CU’s controller of examinations and inspector of colleges visited our college to take stock of the situation. They even suggested that we hold the examination in our labs. But so many students cannot be accommodated inside the labs,” she said.
The university also suggested that the examinations be held in the South Suburban school premises.
“But we told them that the examinations cannot be held in a dilapidated school building,” said teacher-in-charge Ghosh.
The principal of Seth Anandaram Jaipuria College in north Calcutta, Madhuchhanda Lahiri, said the CAPF personnel were expected to enter “any day”.
“They were supposed to enter on March 10. We are expecting that they will be here soon. They will take 18 classrooms as living quarters. We are concerned about how the examinations will be conducted. We have informed the university about the situation,” principal Lahiri said.
A CU official said there are also colleges, such as Asutosh College and New Alipore College, where the forces are not being housed.
These colleges will continue to be the examination centres. They might have to bear an additional burden, as some colleges may not be able to hold examinations due to the heavy CAPF presence on their campuses, the official said.
“As an extreme measure, we have thought of holding examinations on university campuses along with the colleges. A clear picture will emerge soon,” registrar Das told Metro.
Calcutta University published the new examination schedule on February 9 after students staged a protest on CU’s College Street campus, demanding that the exams be deferred. The students alleged they did not have adequate classes in the third semester.
Under the new routine, theoretical exams will run from March 24 to April 8.
The exams were originally scheduled to run from February 23 to March 5.