V-C, senior officials leave JU campus after 25-hr gherao

Kolkata: After remaining gheraoed for more than 25 hours, Jadavpur University vice-chancellor Suranjan Das and senior administrative officials of the university left the campus late on Tuesday night.

The students were agitating, demanding immediate closure of the Centre for Disability Studies in the varsity, alleging misappropriation of funds on the part of those involved in running the Centre since Monday evening. They had earlier placed this demand at the Executive Council (EC) meeting.

"The way they have pressed for their demand is undemocratic. I have nothing more to say. I am very tired," Das said.

The university authorities have faced a similar situation five times in the last few months. On February 19, when the students agitated demanding students' union election, Das was allegedly heckled by a section of students and was hospitalised. He had just joined the university then.

Pro vice-chancellor Pradip Ghosh, who also left the campus late on Tuesday night after being gheroaed, said that the authorities have formed a multi-member committee to review activities of all 40 centres under the varsity and also the various schools in it.

But the students were bent upon immediate closure of the centre and encroached in front of Aurobindo Bhavan, the administrative building of the varsity.

Manojit Mandal, coordinator of the centre and an EC member, said that the project over which a section of students are agitating is translation of an authentic biography of Rabindranath Tagore from Bengali to English.

"It has been approved by the university and classes have begun with four students just a week ago. Not an iota of Rs 25 lakh that has been allocated for the project by the state government, has been spent. So how can they allege misappropriation?" Mandal questioned.

Meanwhile, the agitating students said that they have lifted their gherao but will continue to press for their demand.