Calcutta University, West Bengal government set for confrontation over exam date

The University of Calcutta and the West Bengal government appear set for a major confrontation, with the university refusing to postpone a fourth-semester examination scheduled for August 28, which happens to be the foundation day of the students’ wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

It remains to be seen who eventually wins, but the issue has openly split Kolkata’s academia, with many Principals coming out in support of the State government, and numerous other professors applauding officiating Vice-Chancellor Santa Datta (De) for standing up to the TMC party machinery.

“It is surprising that some Principals wrote to me that students don’t want to participate — or won’t participate — in the exam on August 28. Exams are not picnic where you choose whether to participate or not. Dates [for the examinations] are decided on the basis of the academic calendar. We fix the schedule leaving out the dates marked in red,” Prof. Datta (De) told the media on Monday evening, asserting that there was no question of postponing the exams scheduled on that date.

Immediately after she reiterated her stand, the university issued a notice. “On the basis of resolution taken by the Syndicate in its meeting held on August 4, all examinations scheduled on August 28 will be held on that very date without any change, hence all colleges are hereby required to conduct the scheduled examinations on August 28,” the notice stated.

Moments later, a Principals’ body that usually takes the line of the State government sent a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asking her to intervene in the matter and get the exams on that day postponed.

“Students of B. Com semester-4 are scheduled to appear for [an exam] on August 28. Incidentally a major student rally has been called by a political party on that day to commemorate the foundation day of its students’ wing, the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad (TMCP). This programme has been organised in the State in previous years and is not something that has been organised suddenly. It is anticipated that a large number of students from various colleges across the State will participate in this rally. This large-scale rally across Kolkata is likely to lead to severe traffic congestion throughout the city, raising serious concerns among us principals regarding how students, faculty members, and non-teaching staff would be able to reach the examination centres on time,” the All Bengal Principals’ Council said in a late-evening communication on Monday.

“We had already brought this matter to the attention of the Vice-Chancellor. Despite that, no action has yet been taken. As per university regulations, students arriving late are not permitted to enter the examination hall, which may result in many being unjustly deprived of the opportunity to appear in the said examination. Moreover, if traffic conditions prevent teachers, non-teaching staff, or students from reaching the colleges on time, the proper and smooth conducting of the examination cannot be guaranteed. In the light of the above, we earnestly request your intervention in this matter so that the examination scheduled for August 28 may be postponed so that no student is inconvenienced unduly or deprived of the opportunity to take the examination,” the Principals’ body said.