A group of university students waved black flags and blocked Governor CV Ananda Bose’s convoy at the University of North Bengal.
Dubbing the meeting between the Governor and the Vice-Chancellors illegal, they protested by lying down in front of the convoy at the entry point of the University.
Later, they staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the administrative block of the university. They waved black flags at the Governor and shouted slogans while waving protest posters. A huge police force was deployed at the university to control the situation.
According to Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the student’s union of Trinamool Congress, the Governor and Chancellor of the Universities have appointed interim Vice-Chancellors in 14 Universities of West Bengal illegally without consulting the State Education department. The meeting which was held on Wednesday was also illegal, as they did not inform the State Education department about the meeting.
“The Chancellor is running Universities like a dictator. Without informing the State Education department he is calling meetings. Our university has not had a convocation for the last five years. When he cannot attend a convocation, how will he fulfil his responsibilities as a Chancellor? We want our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to be the Chancellor,” said Mithun Baishya, the Observer of TMCP, North Bengal University, wing.
Later the Governor said: “The High Court has passed an order and that is final, I am not a higher court.”
On Wednesday, CV Ananda Bose called a meeting with the V-Cs of all universities of Bengal at the North Bengal University.
As many as 13 V-Cs, including the University of North Bengal, were present at the meeting. Only the V-C of Burdwan University was absent. “Protest is the asset of democracy, protests are welcome. I thank them for asking me to go back. I am going back. I thank them for providing me with the time to have an interaction with the Vice-Chancellors,” stated Bose.
“We have only a single point agenda. The universities of Bengal should be the best,” he added.