Jadavpur University VC Suranjan Das gherao
- PC : Daily Hunt
The vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University Suranjan Das on Tuesday night termed as "undemocratic" the gherao of him and other executive council members by a section of students, over the rescheduling of admission tests for six humanities subjects.
The gherao by members of the Arts Faculty Students' Union (AFSU), which started yesterday evening, has been continuing for over 24 hours now.
AFSU leader Somashree Choudhury said the sit-in demonstration outside 'Aurovinda Bhawan' will not be withdrawn, unless the VC declares the date for admission tests.
He said the varsity will also have to categorically assure that it will not deviate from the age-old practice of conducting admission tests for each humanities stream.
Das told PTI that the agitating students were behaving in a "highly undemocratic" way.
"We had informed the students that postponement of admission test dates was a temporary step, as we needed to weigh the legal validity and implications, if we went ahead with the admission test schedule. It was a matter of two-three days... This act of students is highly undemocratic," he said.
The VC said the university is already in talks with the advocate general of West Bengal for legal advice into the matter.
"Based on our communication, an executive council meeting has been called at 12 noon tomorrow, where we will announce the varsity's decision on the issue," he said.
Das, along with other members of the university's EC, are at present holed up inside the administrative building, as AFSU members continue to raise slogans and put up placards, a member of the Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) said.
West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said such agitation would only harm the interests of most of the students, who want to pursue their studies without disturbances.
Chatterjee said at a programme here that the agitating students at JU were misguided, but they were being "instigated by some people". The minister, however, did not name anyone.
The gherao began during an EC meeting yesterday, when Das announced that admission tests for English, Comparative Literature, History, Bengali, Political Science and Philosophy would be postponed, as a section of faculty members raised reservations over the legal validity of such tests.
The EC has also extended the last date for submission of admission forms from June 26 to July 2.
Soon after the announcement, the AFSU members gathered outside 'Aurobindo Bhavan', the main administrative building of the university, demanding that the admission tests be held on the scheduled date, the JUTA member said.
"We began our sit-in at around 8 pm last night and will not move until the VC announces dates for admission test," AFSU leader Pritam Biswas said.
