West Bengal bans internet: These exams rescheduled

The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology have rescheduled the timing of the end-semester examinations to evening hours due to the internet ban in West Bengal.

As the West Bengal government has announced to seal the internet in some parts of the state because of the restrictions on gauging paper leaks, the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology have rescheduled the timing of the end-semester examinations to evening hours. The internet will be suspended as per the datasheet of Class 10 exams.

MAKAUT controller of examinations Dr Subhasis Dutta said on Monday, "in view of the possibility of non-availability of internet services in some areas of the state during the Madhyamik examination hours and opinions received from the stakeholders in this regard, all end semester exams of the first semester have been rescheduled to the 4:30 pm - 6 pm slot in the interest of students."

IIEST deputy registrar Nirmalya Bhattacharya said in a notice that the 4th, 6th, 8th-semester undergraduate exams will now be held from 5:15 pm, 6:30 pm and 4 pm respectively. The earlier timing was from 11:30 am, 2:30 pm, and 4 pm respectively.

"The move was necessitated in the wake of reports of purported leak of question papers via social media platforms from some exam centres in several districts, including Malda and Murshidabad, within an hour of commencement of exams in 2019 and 2020," an official of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) had said.

The WBBSE conducts the examination which was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Intelligence reports have been received that internet transmission and voice over internet telephony may be used for “unlawful activities in certain areas over the next few days, the notification said.

As assessment of the inputs “gives reason to believe that such unlawful activities are likely to occur in the absence of preventive measures”, it said.