Police, the administration and the state forest department helped out several Madhyamik examinees across north Bengal as the board exam started on Monday.
In Siliguri, the police made arrangements so that two examinees, Afreen Ansari and her sister Saina of Goalapatty area, students of Dr Rajendra Prasad Girls’ High School, could appear in their exams.
The duo had got injured at home on Sunday as some criminals attacked their family. They were under treatment at the Siliguri district hospital.
“We were concerned whether the sisters would be able to write their papers. We thank the police and the education department for their cooperation," said Md Nazrul Ansari, their uncle.
A senior officer of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police said that initially the sisters were taken to their examination centre. “However, as they fell sick, they were brought back to the hospital where they wrote their papers from their beds,” he said.
In Jalpaiguri, quick intervention by police officers helped Madhyamik examinees reach their exam centres on time.
Olivia Harharia, a student at Pushpika Girls’ High School in Malbazar, had almost reached the exam centre when she realised she had left her admit card at home.
She approached some police personnel. Soon, Dulal Chandra Roy, an assistant sub-inspector at Mal police Station, reached for help.
“He took the girl to her home on a bike where she collected her admit card. The police officer then dropped her at the exam centre in due time,” said a source.
Also, policemen on duty at traffic points in Kranti block of the district helped many Madhyamik examinees reach the exam centres on their bikes.
“The police personnel at the Mainaguri police station took initiatives for examinees with special needs by arranging wheelchairs, motorcycles and cars to ensure they reached their exam venues without difficulty,” the source added.
The forest department, on the other hand, arranged transport for examinees staying on the fringes of reserve forests and wildlife habitats.
“Students were taken to their exam centres and later dropped at home in vehicles provided by us. This service will be available throughout the exam,” said Dwijapratim Sen, the divisional forest officer of the Gorumara wildlife division.
In North Dinajpur, Suhana Khatun, who stays in Puratan Palli of Islampur town, left the admit card at home.
“I realised it after I reached the exam centre. In panic, I approached an on-duty civic volunteer,” she said.
Sukdeb Das, the civic volunteer, said he promptly asked her to get on his bike.
“I took her home, she got the admit card and I dropped her to the exam centre again. It is good she entered the exam centre on time,” said Das.
In Alipurduar, two students fell ill during the exam. One of them appeared in the exam from the hospital but the other was too ill to appear for the paper.
DM aid
Nitin Singhania, the Malda district magistrate, helped a physically challenged minor boy on Monday.
Singhania, visiting the Madhyamik exam centres, spotted the boy begging near Malda Girls’ High School. He spoke to the boy and asked officials to arrange for the boy's schooling and ensure his family got all benefits of social welfare schemes. "This boy should be in school and not on the streets,” said the DM.