JU
The impasse over admission tests to six humanities streams at Jadavpur University ended today, as its Executive Council declared that they will be held "at the earliest".
The announcement prompted the agitating Arts Faculty Students' Union to withdraw the gherao of the vice-chancellor and other EC members, after 44 hours.
The EC also condemned the "wrongful confinement" of the vice-chancellor and other EC members, since Monday evening.
Pro-VC Pradip Ghosh told reporters at the university that an admission committee, comprising head of departments of the six humanities streams, "will decide on the modalities of holding the admission tests and decide on the date at the earliest".
Soon after the announcement, the impasse ended, as the agitating students made way for VC Suranjan Das and other EC members to leave the campus at around 4 pm, a JU Teachers' Association (JUTA) member said.
Ghosh said the EC decided that the admission eligibility of every candidate to humanities streams will be based on the '50-50 formula' - 50 per cent of the total marks obtained in admission tests and 50 per cent of the total marks secured by the candidate in board examinations.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the EC during the day, where the "legal validity" of holding such tests was examined after taking views of experts, he said.
West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here that he has sought details into the developments during the past three days from the VC.
"I have read about it (the JU developments) in news papers. I have asked the details from the vice-chancellor," Tripathi said.
AFSU leader Somashree Choudhury, however, said though the main issue of declaring the date for admission tests has been announced, the union will continue its agitation in some other manner to address different matters, and discuss the 50-50 formula in more detail at the next meeting.
The EC also condemned the sit-in demonstration by the students, which led to confinement of the faculty.
"The Executive Council unanimously condemned the wrongful confinement of the EC members from June 25 till date by a section of students, especially from the arts faculty," Ghosh said.
The state's Education Minister Partha Chatterjee had yesterday said such agitations would only harm the interests of most of the students, who want to pursue their studies without disturbances.
