RBU lodges complaint against youths for intentionally distorting Rabindra Sangeet

Kolkata: Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) authorities have lodged a complaint with Sinthi police station against some young men and women who had allegedly written obscene words on their bodies with colours of different shades and distorted a song of Rabindranath Tagore. The youths, who were outsiders, had come to the university to take part in the Basanta Utsav (spring festival, pre-Holi celebrations) festivities at the BT Road campus of RBU on Thursday afternoon.

Photographs of four women in yellow sarees were uploaded on social media on Thursday night which went viral soon, triggering strong reactions. The words according to the picture were an intentional 'distortion' of a much-referenced line from a famous Rabindra Sangeet. In another photograph, three male persons sported vulgar words written on their chest.

"We have lodged a complaint with Sinthi police station and have urged them to take steps as per provisions of law against those involved in the act. We are not ruling out the possibility that it was a deliberate attempt to malign the image of RBU. We have also asked police to verify whether the photographs were captured in the university itself, as lakhs of people had attended the Basanta Utsav celebrations," said Sabyasachi Basu Roy Chaudhury, vice-chancellor of RBU, who has reportedly tendered his resignation.

He added that the matter will be discussed on a priority basis at the varsity's Executive Committee meeting, where they will reconsider whether outsiders will be allowed on the occasion of Basanta Utsav from next year. "We are ready to provide CCTV footage and everyone in the university will cooperate with the police during the course of investigation," the V-C said.

State Education minister Partha Chatterjee strongly condemned the incident, stating: "I have spoken with the V-C and the police administration will decide on the next course of action. The police should initiate a case as per provisions in laws of cyber crime," Chatterjee said.

Meanwhile, five of the six youths who were photographed turned up at the varsity campus on Friday and sought apology from the authorities for their act. The youths, who claimed to be students of Chandannagore College in Hooghly, were interrogated by the security officer in the varsity.

"We cannot detain anybody so we have taken a written undertaking of their apology for the act and have allowed them to leave," a varsity official said. A senior police official claimed ignorance in receiving any complaint from the university about such an incident.