West Bengal governor removes Gour Banga University's VC over dereliction of duty, corruption charges

KOLKATA: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Wednesday removed Professor Pabitra Chattopadhyay from the post of vice chancellor of the University of Gour Banga with immediate effect over dereliction of duty and corruption charges, a Raj Bhavan official said on Wednesday.

The directive from the governor, also the chancellor of the state-run varsities, came days after the university's inspector of colleges accused the professor of demanding money to cover legal expenses. Chattopadhyay, a chemistry professor, denied the allegation.

"The authorisation granted to Professor Pabitra Chattopadhyay to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the vice-chancellor of the University of Gour Banga, by order of the Chancellor, is hereby annulled with immediate effect," the official told PTI.

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The university's inspector of colleges has filed cases at the Calcutta High Court over alleged irregularities, claiming that the interim VC demanded an amount of Rs 3 lakh to cover legal expenses. "Such an allegation is serious. We cannot have a person in the position of a VC who has been accused of asking for money. The step has been taken to keep the education system in West Bengal clean," the Raj Bhavan official said.

The convocation of the varsity was scheduled to take place on August 25, but it was cancelled on instructions from the education department of the West Bengal government.

"The chancellor took the firm stand that the government has no authority to interfere with the autonomy of the universities and ordered that the convocation be held as scheduled. But the vice chancellor failed to comply with the direction. This negligence on the part of the VC expedited the immediate removal by the chancellor," he said.

Bose had appointed Chattopadhyay as the officiating vice-chancellor of Gour Banga University after selecting him from the list of state nominees in April 2024. The state-run university's convocation has remained suspended since 2017, reportedly due to issues between the state government and the Governor's office.