Calcutta University has written to the joint commissioner of Kolkata Police, requesting measures to ensure that the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) does not disrupt the university’s ongoing third-semester undergraduate examinations.
The police have also been approached to take steps for the smooth conduct of the upcoming first-semester examinations.
The vice-chancellor said that they have sought cooperation from the police so that the third-semester theory exams, which started on March 24, can be held till April 8, the last day of examinations.
The first-semester theory exams, starting on April 10, will continue until April 24.
A CU official explained that they reached out to the police administration because the police act as the direct link to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the deployment and housing of CAPF personnel.
“We are not opposed to the deployment of CAPF personnel who have been staying in our affiliated colleges since March. But the university has requested the police authorities to ensure that the examinations can be conducted smoothly at the same time,” vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh said.
A copy of the exam schedule, along with venues, has been shared with the police so they can consult it while allotting accommodation for the CAPF personnel in colleges.
“The students will suffer if the exams are not completed on time and will delay the start of the next semester,” the VC said.
On Monday, CU’s controller of examinations, Jayanta Sinha, wrote to the city police’s joint commissioner.
A CU official said that additional CAPF personnel were likely to be deployed ahead of the two-phase elections scheduled for April 23 and 29. The university is worried whether the examinations could be completed on time.
The Telegraph reported on March 17 that around 2,500 companies of central forces — the highest in recent memory — could be deployed in Bengal in each of the two phases, April 23 and 29.
The CAPF, under the Union home ministry, includes the CRPF, the BSF, the CISF, the ITBP, the SSB, the NSG and the Assam Rifles.
A CU official said the heads of several colleges had informed that the forces have taken possession of the entire college.
This newspaper reported on March 17 that CU had exempted some of its affiliated colleges from holding the undergraduate third-semester examinations on their premises due to the heavy presence of forces there.
In some colleges, the university had also reduced the number of examinees because of police presence.
The letter will also be sent to the Bengal director-general of police because many CU affiliated colleges are in Calcutta’s adjoining districts.