JU Arts students gherao V-C, senior officials over admission test row

Kolkata: The stalemate over admission tests in Arts subjects at Jadavpur University continued on Tuesday with Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das and some senior officials of the university remained gheraoed by a section of students of humanities since Monday night.

The agitation started off after the university temporarily postponed the admission process of Arts by withdrawing the dates for admission tests that were scheduled to be held from July 3 to 5.

An emergency Executive Committee meeting has been called on Wednesday with the aim to resolve the impasse.

State Education minister Partha Chatterjee when questioned about such unrest in the varsity said: "These students should decide what they actually want to do. They indulge in agitation over some issue or the other. They do everything other than studies. 99 percent of the institutions abstain from such activities but in a few institutions like these, such things have been continuing."

Chatterjee was also critical in respect to the roles played by a section of teachers of the varsity.

"Often, the students do not have proper understanding of the situation. There should be someone who will make them comprehend certain matters. But there is hardly anybody chipping in," the minister added.

A member of Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) said the V-C along with other Executive Council (EC) had to spend the entire night in the administrative building as the members of Arts Faculty Students Union (AFSU) refused to call off the protest that started around 8pm on Monday.

It may be mentioned that the admission tests for English, Comparative Literature, History, Bengali, Political Science and Philosophy were postponed as a section of faculty members raised reservations over the legal validity of such tests. The last date for submission of forms was also extended from June 26 to July 2.

Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das said: "There has been some legal problems regarding the admission tests that had cropped up in the EC meeting. We have not cancelled the admission tests but decided to postpone it and have sought legal opinion so that there is no complications later. If I have to remain gheraoed for this, I am ready to accept it." "We will not budge from this place until the VC announces dates for admission tests," AFSU leader Pritam Biswas said.

A university source said there has already been 17,000 applications for admission in Arts.