‘Will sit in protest in front of Amartya Sen’s house if Visva Bharati tries to bulldoze it’

: Expressing her dismay over Visva Bharati University slapping an eviction notice to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and threatening to evict him after a certain period, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she will be the first person to sit in front of Sen’s Santiniketan residence to thwart the attempt.

“They are harassing a person of Amartya Sen’s stature. I am amazed at their audacity as they have claimed to bulldoze his residence if the order of vacating the residence is not adhered to. If they do so, I will be the first person to protest and sit infront of his residence. I will see whether bulldozer is powerful or humanity,” Banerjee said.

The varsity has accused the celebrated economist of illegally occupying a piece of land on its campus and in a recent eviction order, the central varsity has asked Sen to vacate it by May 6 or within 15 days of the publication of the last order on April 19.

A former student of Visva Bharati has filed a complaint with police against Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty and two other officials, accusing them of causing “mental harassment” to Sen over land eviction. The complainant, Trisha Rani Bhattacharya, took exception to the “verbal abuse of such a personality by calling him a land grabber and encroacher”, and demanded strict action as per legal provisions.

On January 24, the Visva Bharati administration sent a letter to Professor Sen, stating that he had occupied 0.13 decimal more land that was taken in a lease by

his forefathers.