Jadavpur University VC falls ill during campus unrest meeting, taken to hospital

Kolkata: Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya on Monday fell ill during a meeting to discuss the recent campus unrest and was taken to a hospital, a varsity official said. The meeting, which brought together representatives of different stakeholders to discuss last week's clashes between two groups of students, was underway when Bhattacharya suddenly became unwell. He tripped and was subsequently taken to a hospital for medical attention.

The vice chancellor was in stable condition, and the sudden ailment was caused by tremendous work pressure and fatigue, the university official said. The development comes amid heightened tension on the university campus following clashes involving left and ABVP students. A section of the students alleged that the Vice-Chancellor's illness was nothing short of drama to avoid the meeting, but the charge was rejected by the university authorities.

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A general meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU) led to the clash between members of the RSS-affiliated ABVP and Left-leaning student groups at the University here early on Thursday, leaving several students injured. Both sides accused each other of bringing outsiders into the campus.

In a related incident on August 20 afternoon, both SFI and ABVP supporters scuffled with the police on Thursday afternoon in a bid to enter the campus from two ends of the same road while the men in uniform struggled to keep them at bay. During the melee, the university's emblem was pulled down from gate number 4.