Governor condemns heckling of JU V-C, Pro V-C leaves campus

Kolkata: Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Monday condemned the heckling of Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das by a section of agitating students of the varsity.

"There should be a sense of discipline among the students. They should not have pushed the V-C under any circumstances. The students should never hit their teacher, their V-C," Tripathi told reporters on the sidelines of the convocation of the West Bengal State University in Barasat.

It may be mentioned that Das had fallen down in front of the administrative building of the varsity on February 19, during a scuffle between two groups of students. He was hospitalised for two days following the incident.

Tripathi, who also happens to be the Chancellor of the university, said that he has nothing to say with the student community unitedly agitating to press for their demands on academic matters.

"But they should not be involved in any conduct that goes against the spirit of their respective institute," he said when questioned about the heckling of Das.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Pradip Ghosh, who was gheraoed due to the sit-in demonstration of the students in front of the administrative building Aurobindo Bhavan since Friday night, left the varsity on Monday evening. The agitating students claimed that Ghosh was allowed to leave as he was feeling sick.

The university wrote to the state Higher Education department on Monday, informing them that the agitating students want to hold a tripartite meeting regarding their demands for student union election. The state government has, however, made its stand clear that there will be no such election before the Lok Sabha polls.

The incident of heckling the JU V-C took place during a scuffle between members of unions of the faculties of arts, science and engineering and technology on one side and those belonging to the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) on the other, last Tuesday.