Jadavpur University stalemate: JUTA members to hold sit-in on Jan 16

NEW DELHI: Amid the impasse in Jadavpur University over the removal of officiating Vice-Chancellor Buddhadeb Sau by West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose over two weeks back, the varsity teachers' association on Wednesday announced a sit-in demonstration on January 16 as part of 'Save JU' campaign.

Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) general secretary Partha Pratim Roy told reporters that faculty members will take part in the sit-in and will tie a piece of black cloth over their mouth from 2-3 pm to press for the main demand for appointment of a permanent VC in the university at the earliest as per guidelines.

The JUTA claimed that the academic and administrative functioning of the institution are being hampered due to the impasse. "We will also apprise students, researchers, teachers and other officials about the project and work stalled in the present situation and how it is affecting," he said. Roy said some of the association members also advocated seeking legal advice for moving the Supreme Court on their part as one of the affected parties to end the present impasse, "but a lot more deliberations need to be made before any such move".

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Meanwhile, the All Bengal University Teachers Association (ABUTA) in a statement held Chancellor C V Ananda Bose responsible for the impasse for his "autocratic step to remove the VC on the eve of convocation which can only harm the functioning of the university as the power is vested on the VC. "Despite knowing very well that he cannot appoint any interim vc at this juncture since the matter is pending before Supreme Court," Bose went ahead with the decision of removal of Sau which can only create a logjam in the academic and administrative functions of JU, ABUTA JU chapter Convenor Debabrata Bera said.

Urging the governor to take the initiative to solve the impasse, the ABUTA said, "his sudden decision to remove Sau just before the convocation is disrespectful to the university stakeholders, the professors and students and disrespectful to the issue of autonomy. The JUTA and ABUTA statements were preceded by the comments from officiating vice-chancellor Buddhadeb Sau that he does not consider it "prudent" to attend office and discharge responsibilities as the officiating VC "till the air is cleared".

"I prefer to wait for the Supreme Court decision (on the appointment of VCs in the state universities). Accordingly, I am not going to the office of the JU VC", he said. Sau was appointed the officiating VC of the university by Raj Bhavan on August 17 last year but was removed by Governor C V Ananda Bose on December 23 on 'disciplinary grounds'. Bose has been in conflict with the higher education department over the appointment of officiating vice-chancellors of state-run universities.

The appointment of permanent VCs in 31 state universities, including Jadavpur University and Calcutta University, is pending before the Supreme Court after the state approached it in the wake of the governor's move to appoint officiating VCs during June-August without consulting it.

"Due to the ongoing legal and administrative confusion caused by a series of communications, especially from the chancellor's office and the related communications from the state government regarding the functioning of the interim VC JU, I prefer to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court," Sau had said. While the university convocation was held on the scheduled day after the intervention of the state government, the governor on the following day termed the action of the state in support of the sacked VC as "unauthorised and illegal".