Darjeeling/Siliguri, June 16: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha wants North Bengal University to defer the ongoing exams on the ground that it had been put off during bandhs called by the Left Front and the Trinamul Congress early this month to protest against the fuel price hike.
“Not only that, many of our students are not in a position to go down to Siliguri and sit for the exams,” said D. Giri, a central committee member of the Morcha.
About 500 students from the Darjeeling hills and Sikkim had fled Siliguri following the clashes that rocked the plains town last week.
The Morcha believes that these students are not in the right frame of mind to write the papers, although a few of them have come back to Siliguri for the exams.
Almost 100 of them had missed the varsity exams on June 12 and 13 because of the 48-hour shutdown called by Amra Bangali, an organisation opposed to the Gorkhaland demand.
Sources in educational circles said the Morcha leaders have asked the colleges to write to the university about the state of affairs.
“Some colleges have already written, but till date there have been no clear instructions from NBU. The varsity is unlikely to reschedule the exams largely because the shutdown does not have a definite time frame,” said the source.
Apart from the problem of the university examinations, which will end on July 5, there is also apprehension that students seeking admission to first year undergraduate courses might suffer.
Although colleges will remain open (the Morcha has ruled out educational institutions from the purview of its bandh), students might not be able to make their pick. The last date for admission under NBU colleges has been fixed for July 16. First year classes are scheduled to start from August 10.
“They may not get time to apply in all colleges,” said an educationist.
Bimal Gurung, the Morcha president, has however assured the people that he would give them bandh relaxations on a regular basis.
About 30 students (10 of them girls) of Kalipada Ghosh Terai Mahavidyalaya, Bagdogra, are putting up at Pintail Village, Dagapur, where they are being looked after by the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha.
The students had witnessed a number of unruly scenes on the first day of the Amra Bangli bandh. Many of them were refused entry into the campus by the bandh supporters. The college administration had arranged for the hill students to be dropped back to their rented accommodations escorted by police.
“I am scared to go back to my rented house,” said Romi Rai, a BCom first-year student, who arrived at Pintail Village from his Mirik home today. “I have to write six more exams. I don’t want to take any risk,” he added. His next exam is on June 19.
Lawan Subba, president of Vidyarthi Morcha’s Siliguri unit, said most students are coming down a day before their scheduled papers.
“Some parents have not let their children come back even to write their exams,” said Subba.
Despite the shutdown, students will be given a safe passage, the Morcha has promised.
“Examinations are exempted from the strike and we will help those who want our support in reaching the plains to write their exams,” Kismat Chhetri, district president of the Vidyarthi Morcha, said.
Smita Pandey, the sub-divisional officer of Siliguri, said any student facing problems can call up the control room at 03532430800 and 03532525213.
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