Jadavpur University: New officiating VC faces student protests

KOLKATA: Ten days after taking over, the new officiating Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur University Buddhadeb Sau on Monday faced protests by a section of students demanding that the university accommodate views of "all stakeholders" while taking any decision about ways to stop ragging in the campus.

When the vice-chancellor was leaving the administrative building Aurobindo Bhavan, students of the SFI-controlled Arts Faculty Students Union intercepted him and raised their demands. Sau left the campus around two hours later. Sau told PTI that he tried to reason with the students that an all-stakeholder meeting cannot be called hastily and he will do his best to address their concerns by this week.

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"However, they wanted a circular in writing to be issued immediately with the assurance of convening a stakeholder meeting. I wanted to follow the well-established process of going through the Executive Committee meeting before deciding on the all-stakeholder participation issue. Since the students are insistent, we will find a middle way," he added.

The students had been on a sit-in at the Aurobindo Bhavan for over two weeks demanding justice for the undergraduate student who had died after falling from the main hostel's second-floor balcony on August 9 after being ragged and allegedly physically abused by seniors. Joyadrita, a spokesperson of the Arts Faculty Students Union, however, insisted that the VC was not gheraoed.

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“We discussed certain crucial issues concerning JU with the officiating VC and want a definite assurance from him,” she added. A university official said along with the interim VC, Pro-VC Amitava Datta also held talks with students to end the impasse.