Cal HC forms panel to look into Visva-Bharati University violence

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday formed a four-member committee, including two of its sitting judges, to find out ways and means for appropriate resolution of issues relating to the Visva-Bharati University, which had witnessed violence over construction of a boundary wall.

The committee will be headed by Justice Sanjib Banerjee and include Justice Arijit Banerjee as one of its members along with West Bengal Advocate General and the Additional Solicitor General of the Union government here.

In view of the importance of the "great institution" founded and carried forward by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, the division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Shampa Sarkar directed that the matter will be treated as a suo motu public interest litigation, and appointed senior advocate Jaydip Kar as amicus curiae.

Trouble erupted at Visva-Bharati in West Bengal's Birbhum district on August 17, when a large number of people ransacked its properties to protest the construction of a boundary wall at the Poush Mela ground.

Authorities of the central university had alleged non-availability of state police forces despite intimations and complaints about the situation.

Stating that the protection required for educational activities and residential activities have to be fairly balanced and to maintain the institution in its appropriate manner, the court directed the committee to look into different aspects, "fundamentally in the mode of mediation and conciliation among the different stakeholders".

The vice-chancellor and other officers of Visva- Bharati will provide appropriate assistance as may be required by the panel, the division bench said.

"We hope to get interim reports... as and when the chairperson of that committee may desire us to see any such interim report," it said.

The bench also directed that there will be no construction activity or demolition, modification or removal of any structure in any part of the land belonging to Visva- Bharati or over which it has claims, except with the permission of the committee.

State and central government officials, in particular revenue officers, have been asked to abide by directions issued by the panel to identify the properties of Visva- Bharati.

"Such identification shall be done by the revenue officers under the guidance of the committee on war footing and barbed wire fencing shall be put up by Visva-Bharati under the control and advice of the committee to properly secure the land of the university," it said.

The bench said it will be within the authority of the committee to issue directions to Visva-Bharati officials as may be found necessary, including whether any passage or passages are to be provided for any place in the area concerned.

The court also directed the state police authorities to keep suspended any police action with regard to the complaints arising out of the incident which occurred on August 17.