JU imbroglio continues as hunger strike enters second day, Partha meets Tripathi

Kolkata: The stalemate at Jadavpur University showed no signs of resolving, with the students deciding to continue their sit-in demonstration in front of Aurobindo Bhavan, the administrative building of the university.

Meanwhile, state Education minister Partha Chatterjee met Governor and chancellor of the university Keshari Nath Tripathi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday.

Chatterjee held a meeting with the chancellor for more than an hour and then went to the Chief Minister's Kalighat residence. Though the minister did not reveal anything on the purpose of his visit, sources in Raj Bhavan said that the meeting was held for resolving the impasse at the varsity.

"The government is concerned about the state of affairs at the premier institution and the matter was discussed with the Governor," a source in Raj Bhavan said.

The students have been continuing their movement since Wednesday, after the university announced scrapping of the admission test in six subjects of Humanities in the undergraduate level.

20 students of the Arts department had resorted to hunger strike, protesting against the decision of scrapping admission test from Saturday.

"We have submitted a detailed report on the current situation existing in the varsity to the honourable Governor, who also happens to be the chancellor of the university. We are waiting for his reply," said registrar Chiranjib Bhattacharjee.

Teachers of the International Relations department of the university sent an e-mail addressing vice-chancellor Suranjan Das, stating that they will not be part of the admission process.

Teachers of English, Comparative Literature and Bengali department have already written to the university authorities, informing them that they will stay away from the admission process.

Jadavpur University, after the EC meeting on Wednesday, had announced that admission for this year will be on the basis of marks in Higher Secondary or equivalent examination and there will be no admission tests. Following this, the students of Humanities had started agitating.