The vice chancellor, pro-vice chancellor and a few other officials were barred from leaving the administrative block building
Over a week after the Christ Church School incident, where an 11-year-old girl died after being locked up in the school bathroom by her seniors for several hours, trouble is now brewing at Kolkata's Jadavpur University.
The vice-chancellor and several other officials of the university have been gheraoed by several fourth year engineering students for over 24 hours following the suspension of two of their fellow students over ragging.
The students claim there was no ragging at all. They said it was "just a commotion at the hostel" and have demanded a fair investigation.
Shubhabrata Dutta, a fourth year engineering student, said, "The allegation is of ragging. An enquiry is on but that doesn't mean that you pre-suppose it was ragging. That's what the University did. They gave no time to the students to explain their position."
The administration took the action after a second year student complained of ragging directly to University Grants Commission, which forwarded the complaint to Jadavpur University. Officials claim an enquiry found the students guilty. On September 11, one of them was suspended for two semesters and the other for one.
"We don't have any other option because the UGC has already told us it's a case of ragging," said Siddharth Dutta, pro-vice chancellor of the University. Officials said the university could lose funding and recognition if UGC rules were violated.
Till late tonight, there was no sign of students relenting. The vice-chancellor complained of feeling ill. Both sides may have a point but clearly at this moment, they are not seeing eye-to-eye.