The BJP has called a 12-hour Bengal bandh on a day when hundreds of examinees are scheduled to write the UGC-NET.

The test, which shortlists candidates for the post of assistant professor, was held on Tuesday, too, and many candidates were worried about whether they would be able to reach the exam venues in time.

On Wednesday, examinees will write the economics, rural economics, econometrics and applied economics papers from 9.30am to 12.30pm. The papers scheduled for
the second half, from 3pm to 6pm, include Tamil and geography.

A student at Jadavpur University who lives in Joynagar, in South 24-Parganas, said he had to reach TCS Gitabitan in New Town to write his geography paper.

“I had planned to reach Sealdah from Joynagar by train and then take the Metro to reach Sector V. But now there is this bandh.... What if trains are stalled by those supporting the bandh? Why do they call a bandh on a major examination day?” asked the student.

The BJP has called a Bengal bandh from 6am to 6pm on Wednesday.

A student who lives in Arambagh, Hooghly, said he had no idea how he would reach his exam centre at TCS Gitabitan.

“I had planned to reach Howrah by train, from where I would take a bus to Sealdah and then the Metro to Sector V. But if the train services are disrupted, how will I reach the examination centre?” the student said.

Many candidates who wrote their UGC-NET papers on Tuesday had a tough time reaching their test venues in Howrah because of the protests spearheaded by a self-styled students’ body named Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj. One of the rallies originated from Santragachhi in Howrah.

The examinees’ ordeal, however, did not prevent the BJP from calling the bandh tomorrow.

Education minister Bratya Basu told reporters at Nabanna on Wednesday evening: “Those who wrote the test on Tuesday must have faced trouble... given the large-scale violence by supporters of Chhatra Samaj. The state administration will deploy enough buses on Wednesday and ensure that the examinees don’t face trouble reaching the test centres,” said Basu.

When contacted, the BJP state office promised a statement. It did not come till late on Tuesday evening.