Visva Bharati University Head, Surrounded By Sit-In, Leaves After 10 Hours

Visva Bharati university Vice-Chancellor Prof Bidyut Chakraborty, who was gheraoed by a section of the students for around 10 hours, could not leave his office early today, an official said.

Security guards took him to his official residence at around 2 am. SFI leader Somnath Sow claimed that security guards of Chakraborty beat up the protesters and forcibly lifted the gherao.

The official of the central university, however, said no force was used.

To a question, she said a small group of students were camping near the VC's residence and the authorities were keeping a tab on the situation.

A section of the students gheraoed Chakraborty at his office within the campus at around 4 pm on Wednesday.

Chakraborty had alleged that the agitators "manhandled" him, but he would not succumb to their pressure tactics.

"All they want is to humiliate me and the teachers as I had sought to bring discipline in the academic and administrative affairs of Visva-Bharati," the VC had asserted.

Sow said the students submitted a charter of demands about ways to improve the academic functioning of the institution to the VC's office 10 days back.

"As there was no response, we wanted to discuss the matter with him. But he abused us following which the gherao started," he said.

The Visva Bharati University Faculty Association, an organisation of the teachers, in a statement on Thursday alleged that Prof Bidyut Chakraborty is solely responsible for the outburst of the aggrieved students.

"The entire Visva-Bharati community strongly supports the demonstration by the students and demands Prof Chakraborty's resignation as the only solution to this situation," it said.

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