This Article is From Sep 20, 2013

Vice-chancellor, staff of Kolkata's Jadavpur University locked for third day

Vice-chancellor, staff of Kolkata's Jadavpur University locked for third day

The vice chancellor, pro-vice chancellor and a few other officials were barred from leaving the administrative block building

Kolkata: Students continued to gherao the Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of Jadavpur University in Kolkata for the third day today demanding withdrawal of suspension order of two students on charges of ragging even as authorities said there was no question of reconsidering their demand.

Pro vice-chancellor S Dutta said that he and the vice chancellor slept on the floor of his room last night while food was brought in by their colleagues.

There was no question of reconsidering their demand, Mr Dutta said, adding the teachers were talking to students. The gherao staged by a section of engineering faculty students has been on for almost 44 hours.

The Pro-VC had said yesterday, "We told the students in clear terms that there was no scope of reconsidering their demands since it was a case of ragging which invited disciplinary action against the guilty students. We are sticking to the recommendation of the anti-ragging committee."

University authorities told PTI that VC Souvik Bhattacharya and pro-VC Siddhartha Dutta were taken ill last night and were immediately attended to by doctors.

Doctors examined both of them and advised them rest, they said.

The police said university authorities have not sought their help to free them from gherao and the situation remained peaceful.

The university authorities had suspended two fourth year students from one and two semesters, respectively, on charges of ragging a second year student on August 25 on basis of complaint by the victim.

Both of them - a construction engineering student and another of printing technology stream - have also been asked to vacate hostel rooms immediately.

The students claimed that it was not at all a case of ragging "for which the two students have been wrongly slapped suspension orders".

They also urged the vice-chancellor to reconsider the decision on suspension.

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