The Election Commission of India's unprecedented decision to deploy central forces in the state even before the announcement of Assembly poll dates has resulted in 16 companies already occupying schools and colleges in minority-dominated Murshidabad that shares borders with Bangladesh.

Central forces personnel have taken over educational institutions, shutting them down indefinitely. They are likely to remain there, in increasing numbers, till the end of the poll process this summer or at least May-end.

"Central forces were housed in educational institutions, but never for this long. Two or three weeks, at the most. Also, entire buildings were usually not handed over, just some rooms," said a source.

Some sources alleged that several educational institutions proactively contacted the police administration for central forces to stay in their buildings.

Explaining the reason for this enthusiasm, a source said: "If the central forces occupy school buildings, there will be no classes and teachers will receive paid leave."

However, in most schools, authorities pleaded helplessness.

A case in point is the Joykrishnapur ABS Vidyapith (HS) in Samserganj where a company of central forces entered on Monday. The education of 4,200 students is on hold for around three months.

Since the school is in a backward area, many students are first-generation learners and have no provision for private tuition.

"There were no classes in February as the school was a centre for secondary and higher secondary exams," said a source. "And now central forces are staying here."

Headmaster Humayun Ali said: "The IC of Samserganj police station requisitioned our school building to house the central forces.... How long the central forces will be here has not been clarified in writing. However, it has been verbally said that they may occupy the building till the end of elections. Consequently, we understand that classes will not be held at the school for the next two-and-a-half to three months."

He added: "We understand that if the school is closed continuously like this, students' studies will be affected, but there is nothing we can do."

He said an exam for Classes V to X had been scheduled for April, but that was "uncertain now".

"Most boys and girls from humble backgrounds are our students. They lack a suitable home environment for studies and can't afford tuition. When the central forces vacate, we will have to reopen the school with public announcements, as I couldn't specify when this forced holiday would end," said Ali.

He said he feared some dropouts as a result of this forced holiday.

Md Mostafa, 17, a Class XI student, wondered what he would do with all the free time on his hands in the coming months. "I will go out to work as a daily-rated labourer because I can't study at home," he said.

It is not an isolated case. Central forces occupied the Muralipukur High School in Suti on Monday with an "indefinite holiday" for 3,200 students.

Tinkari Das, the teacher-in-charge of the school, said the police had requisitioned the building.

"Since most of my students come from bidi-worker families, we understand how little they can study at home. But I am helpless.... In past elections, the central forces stayed in the school, but only for two weeks," he said.

Takipur High Madrasa in Rejinagar was taken over by central forces on Monday as well, but according to police sources, teachers there proposed bringing in the central forces. Contacted, Hossain Mehedi Rehaman, chief of the Jangipur police district, refused to comment and passed the buck to Murshidabad district magistrate Nitin Singhania. Singhania, in turn, declined to comment.

Prodded, district inspector of schools (secondary) Jayanta Haldar said: "We discussed with the district administration on this. It was said that a part of the school buildings, maybe three or four classrooms, would be given to the central forces. Closing schools entirely for the stay of central forces was not part of the plan. I had no information that this happened. I will look into it."