New Delhi: The National Testing Agency, which conducts the Common University Entrance Test exam, has announced that it undergraduate tests between May 21 and 25 are postponed in Jammu and Kashmir. Dates of the exams in Manipur too have been pushed over the recent violence.

The notification comes after days of fervent appeals and protests from J&K students who had been assigned exam centres over 600 kilometres from their hometowns, and often, outside the Union Territory itself.

The Wire had reported on particular grievances of young students living in far-off areas from which it was not feasible nor financially viable to travel great distances. Two students the reporter spoke to, who were from north Kashmir's Baramulla and Kupwara districts, had said that they were assigned centres in Pathankot and Patiala in Punjab, respectively.

A total of 87,309 candidates have registered from the UT of J&K, the NTA noted. "This is a phenomenal increase in the number of registered candidates as per the last year," it added.

The announcement further had it that the NTA is exploring the possibility of creating temporary centres in Kashmir, to be sensitive to the needs of candidates.

The exam will now be conducted from May 26 onwards in J&K. Candidates were urged to regularly visit NTA websites www.nta.ac.in and https://cuet.samarth.ac.in/ for the latest updates on the examination.

In Manipur, which recently saw violence, the exams will begin from May 29 onwards.

The state's candidate count is lower than J&K's, at 3,697. "The NTA has carefully reviewed the law and order situation in consultation with the state administration and contacted these candidates by telephone for asking their preferred city for the said examination," it said in a press release.

Some candidates who have had to leave the state will take the exam in other states.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.