Kalyani Univ VC offers to step down , Guv asks him to stay put

The Vice Chancellor of Kalyani University, in the eastern state of West Bengal <g data-gr-id="67">Ratanlal</g> Hangloo on Thursday sent his resignation to Governor KN Tripathi after students protesting against fee hike kept him under a night-long gherao, but his offer to quit was not accepted.

Hangloo faxed his resignation to the Governor after he and other senior university authorities and teachers were kept under gherao by students, who were protesting against fee hike at the undergraduate level of the university in <g data-gr-id="44">North</g> 24 <g data-gr-id="50">Pargana</g> district of West Bengal.

However, his resignation was "not accepted" by the Governor and state education minister Partha Chatterjee, who asked him to "go on with his work", Hangloo told reporters.

The well-known academician, who joined the university in 2013, expressed his disgust with the indiscipline on campus fostered by "outside influences".

"The agitation has been going on since last morning. More than 15 staff members, including officials of the VC's office, were held right up to this time (Thursday morning)," Hangloo told media while announcing his resignation.

"We have been receiving information that people want to demonstrate through students and press for various demands. That's why this agitation has taken place."

He said a section of students is mobilised with the help of "outside influences" every few months and their latest demand was the vice chancellor's resignation.

Besides Hangloo, registrar <g data-gr-id="47">Moloy</g> Samanta, Dean of students welfare and finance officer were among the others who were in the VC's chamber when they were gheraoed by the students since 1-30 PM on Thursday.

The VC came out of his chamber at 8.30 am and went to his residence.

Meanwhile, the protesting students on Thursday blocked the main gate of the campus preventing the staff and students from entering the campus.

In another related news, the Visva Bharati Vice Chancellor Sushanta Dattagupta, facing charges of administrative and financial irregularities, also emailed his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday evening.

HRD Ministry sources said they have received the resignation letter from the President's secretariat but would insist on a written letter of resignation from the VC as e-mail correspondence is not admissible.

68-year-old <g data-gr-id="52">Dattagupta's</g> resignation came against the backdrop of the HRD Ministry recommending his removal to the President last week "unconvinced" with the VC's reply on the <g data-gr-id="53">showcause</g> served on him.

According to HRD Ministry officials, in his letter, Dattagupta said that his continuation as the VC had become "meaningless" despite him having done "good" work as per UGC guidelines.

Requesting the President for an interaction, Dattagupta maintained that some political figures had taken an adverse view of his performance.

The reference was <g data-gr-id="48">apparently</g> to senior Congress leader from West Bengal, Pradip Bhattacharya, who had raised allegations against Dattagupta in the Winter Session of Parliament last year and had also met the President seeking his removal.

In his e-mail running into several paragraphs, the VC said he faced the "ugliest time of his life" during an alleged episode of hooliganism before his house following reports that the ministry has sought his removal.

He also lamented that he was not given a hearing by the committee which had probed the irregularities against him and accused people with "vested interests" of working against him as he had tried to change the internal quota that was in vogue in the university for long, ministry officials said quoting from his email.