Calcutta University went ahead with the fourth-semester exams for graduate students Thursday amid controversy over their scheduling coinciding with the Foundation Day of the Trinamool Congress’s student wing, the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP).

Interim Vice Chancellor Shanta Dutta De said on Wednesday that the university syndicate had made the final decision to keep the examination date unchanged, as communicated in a notification dated August 25.

On Thursday, exams began in colleges at 10 am for the first half, and the second half will be held from 2 pm to 5 pm. Exams are being conducted for the fourth semester of BA, BSc, BCom, and BA LLB courses. Approximately 30,000 students across 14 subjects are taking the exams at 81 centres.

While thousands of TMCP supporters gathered in the city for the TMCP Foundation Day programme at Mayo Road, examinees were also seen arriving at their examination centres ahead of time.

The doors to the centres opened nearly an hour before the exams began. Many students chose to leave early to avoid any traffic issues. Bidhita Mondal, a student, said, “I have my exams in the morning, so I left home early to avoid any traffic problems.”

Another student, Monikrishna Dutta, said, “There was a lot of tension whether u would be able to reach on time. These exams are important. Thankfully, I reached.”

During the examinations at colleges, TMCP supporters outside were seen celebrating by cutting cakes and holding bike rallies toward Mayo Road, chanting slogans like ‘Joy Bangla’. Many students participating in the bike rally were not wearing helmets, claiming that no helmets were required on this day since they were all heading to Mayo Road.

TMC Supporters from various colleges organised rallies featuring banners and posters. They sported yellow T-shirts and kurtas with the TMCP logo.

While Calcutta University has taken a strict stance by conducting exams on the same day as the TMCP Foundation Day, Burdwan University has opted for a different approach.

Shankar Kumar Nath, Vice Chancellor of Burdwan University, announced the postponement of Thursday’s exams. He said the decision was made after students requested a delay so they could attend the programme in Kolkata. He said there were no major exams scheduled, which led to this decision.

Nath said, “The MA Bengali term paper and the MA community engagement viva, along with some other subjects from the Bengali department, were scheduled for Thursday. Our students expressed a desire to go to Kolkata. They requested that the exams be rescheduled for a later date, as it is an internal exam. We decided to postpone it. Calcutta University has a different perspective; the students’ demands should be addressed.”

On Wednesday, Calcutta University interim V-C Shanta Dutta De said, “We informed the state education department, the Kolkata police commissioner, the director general of police and the inspector general of police, but no reply has come. In the letter, we stated that they are to ensure the smooth running of the examination. We have sent a list of all the centres.”

According to her, the exam schedule is prepared in accordance with the academic calendar, and holidays are scheduled accordingly. The dates for the examinations are fixed two to three months in advance.

Principals’ body expresses concern over exam schedule

On Tuesday, the All Bengal Principals’ Council (ABPC) expressed concern over Calcutta University’s decision to proceed with the BCom Semester 4 examinations Thursday.

The ABPC’s Calcutta University Committee wrote to the V-C Tuesday, urging postponement of the Sales Management and Functional e-Business System examinations, stating that the traffic congestion caused by rallies could delay students, teachers, and staff from reaching centres on time.

Calcutta University TMCP also established a helpline number, 8670413778, so that students facing issues reaching the examination centre can call this number.

The Education Department previously sent a letter to Calcutta University requesting a change in the examination date, as it coincided with the foundation day of the TMCP. However, the interim V-C said that it was not possible to accommodate this request.