Kolkata:
Engineering students at Jadavpur University tonight lifted their 51-hour gherao of the vice-chancellor, pro-vice chancellor and registrar, but said they would start a relay hunger strike over the demand for revocation of the suspensions of two fourth-year students on ragging charges.
"The gherao has been withdrawn, but university authorities have not buckled under pressure to revoke the suspension order on the two students and we are firm on our decision," pro-vice chancellor Siddhartha Dutta told PTI.
Mr Dutta, who was taken ill along with VC Souvik Bhattacharya last night during the gherao, said, "We are alright and are returning home."
He said that the students had told them they would not continue with the gherao and would, from 9 pm tonight, begin a hunger strike instead, in support of their demand.
"We did not call police to rescue us and left the matter to the good sense of the students," the pro-VC said.
The gherao was lifted hours after state education minister Bratya Basu condemned the students' method of agitation by confining the VC, pro-VC and the registrar.
Mr Basu had described the students' action as being "inhuman" and added that the state government was totally against ragging and gherao at educational institutions.
The students, affiliated to FETSU, had gheraoed the three top university functionaries since Wednesday afternoon.
They were demanding immediate withdrawal of suspension orders on the two students who were charged with ragging a first year student on August 25.
The university authorities' meeting on Wednesday with the students on the issue failed to produce any results, following which FETSU members kept the three top functionaries under gherao on campus at 'Aurobindo Bhavan'.
"There is no question of reconsidering their demand," the VC said.
The pro-VC said he and the VC slept on the floor of his room last night while food was brought in by their colleagues. The teachers had earlier initiated talks with the students for lifting the gherao.
He said, "We told the students in clear terms that there is no scope for reconsidering their demands since it was a case of ragging which had invited the disciplinary action against the guilty students. We are sticking to the recommendation of the anti-ragging committee."
Doctors examined both the VC and the pro-VC and advised rest, they said.
Police said university authorities had not sought their help to clear the gherao.
The anti-ragging committee had earlier recommended suspension of the two fourth year students for one and two semesters, respectively, on charges of ragging on August 25 following a complaint by the victim.
The two students, from the construction engineering and printing technology streams, have also been asked to immediately vacate their hostel rooms.
The students claimed it was not at all a case of ragging "for which the two students have been wrongly slapped with suspension orders". They also urged the VC to reconsider the decision on suspension.