Intellectuals stage sit-in against VBU eviction notice to Amartya Sen

Kolkata: Intellectuals, on Saturday, held a sit-in near the ancestral house of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen protesting against the notice by Visva Bharati University (VBU) to the economist to vacate 0.13 acres of the total 1.38 acres allegedly held by him ‘illegally’ or face eviction.

Tagore’s songs of protest were sung during the sit-in.

Among the intellectuals who took part in the protest, were film maker Goutam Ghosh, painters Shuvaprasanna and Jogen Choudhury.

In another podium, set up near by, leaders of the ruling Trinamool sat in protest. They included leaders Chandranath Sinha, Suri MLA and Birbhum Zilla Parishad president Bikash Roy Choudhury, Labhpur MLA Abhijit Sinha and Nanoor MLA Bidhan Majhi. Scores of party activists too sat with them.

Trinamool Congress is opposing the Visva Bharati University notice to Sen tooth and nail.

“I have come all the way from Kolkata to voice my protest against the harassment and insult to an internationally respected economist like Amartya Sen, who is among the country’s pride. The way his land issue is being treated by Visva Bharati authorities is unfortunate as the matter is sub-judice,” Ghosh said.

Sinha said people of Bengal are aghast over the treatment meted out to Sen by the university and the “democratic protest” against it will continue for the next few days.

The protests followed sit-ins by the ‘Committee for Protection of Social Dignity’, which too was held in front of of Pratichi on the same issue on Friday. Tagore’s famed drama ‘Rakta Karabi’ was staged as a mark of protest and local people and Ashramites of Visva Bharati protested by singing the Bard’s songs.