Visva-Bharati University show-causes 7 teachers for complaining to President Droupadi Murmu

SANTINIKETAN: Hours before the convocation ceremony of Visva-Bharati University, the educational institute show-caused seven faculty members for writing to President Droupadi Murmu complaining against the style of functioning of Vice Chancellor Prof Bidyut Chakraborty.

The seven - all members of Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association - had mailed Murmu, the Visitor of the central university, on Monday where they drew her attention to the alleged insult of the faculty and students which they claimed “caused irreparable damage to the institution and even led to sliding in NAAC ranking from 31 to 98”.

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Murmu on Tuesday attended the convocation ceremony of the university, which was set up by Rabindranath Tagore at Santiniketan. Governor C V Ananda Bose, who is the rector of the educational institute, was also present. "We earnestly request you to take urgent remedial action and save this institution of national importance and its stakeholders," the seven faculty members said in the mail.

One of the show-caused professors alleged they were prevented from meeting the President and Governor and taking up the issue with the President's office. A university official confirmed that show cause notices were served to the professors concerned on Monday on disciplinary grounds as they had breached service rules against the interest of the educational institute.

The official also alleged that the seven professors had encouraged disruptive activities on campus. The seven show-caused professors are Sudipta Bhattacharya, Kousik Bhattacharya, Tathagata Chowdhury, Arindam Chakraborty, Samiran Saha, Rajesh K V and Sarat Kumar Jena. Tagore, the first Asian Nobel Laureate, founded Visva-Bharati in 1921. It was declared a central university and an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament in 1951.