Calcutta University will allow the all-India medical entrance (NEET) examinations on its campuses on May 3 because the schools and colleges where the test was supposed to be held are occupied by the central forces.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the National-Entrance-Cum-Eligibility-Test (NEET) examinations — held to screen students to pursue the MBBS programme in medical colleges — across India, wrote to CU on Thursday to request the use of the university’s campuses.

“They sought our help, given that the CU-affiliated colleges and government and aided schools where they had planned to conduct the tests have been taken over by the CAPF personnel. We will let them hold the tests on our campuses,” CU vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh said on Friday.

The CAPF have not entered the university campuses, the VC said.

An NTA official said they had identified 40 centres, schools and colleges put together in the city to hold the test.

The NTA’s city coordinator, Arvind Kumar, met the CU vice-chancellor on Friday morning to seek the university’s consent.

“So far, they have said they will need the College Street campus, where they want
to accommodate 960 examinees. We have agreed to that. The NTA may need more of our campuses so that another 1,000 candidates can be accommodated. They can use all our campuses based on their requirement,” the VC told Metro.

Although the two-phased polls in Bengal, with Calcutta voting in the second phase scheduled on April 29, will be over before the NEET is held on May 3, the central forces will be stationed in the colleges at least until the day of counting on May 4.