Visva Bharati University students protest against sacking of professor

KOLKATA: A section of Visva Bharati University students launched a sit-in Wednesday evening demanding immediate revoking of the sack order on senior professor Sudipta Bhattacharya. They blamed the VC for suspending students, evicting hostel inmates on "flimsy" charges and misconduct against certain faculty members and students.

Spokesperson of the agitating students, Somnath Sow told reporters that Bhattacharya a popular teacher was undemocratically sacked by Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty in the last week of December on charges of being involved in activities detrimental to the functioning of the central university for "daring to protest" against his "vindictiveness" against those who raised their voices against his actions in the past. Sow claimed that around 200 students not belonging to any political organisation took part in a rally which went around the campus area vowing to continue the fight against the undemocratic VC and then began the sit-in.

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A Visva Bharati official said Bhattacharya had long been aiding and abetting a section of students to disrupt the academic atmosphere of the campus, to manhandle the vice-chancellor and leaking the minutes of confidential internal meetings to the media for his own interest. He had been showcaused at least twice in the past on those charges but he went on commiting the same acts and action was taken against him on disciplinary grounds, the official said. Bhattacharya had breached service rules, he added.

The professor, who is an office-bearer of Visva Bharati University Faculty Association, maintained that the charges were false and he was being targetted as he had protested against the VC’s “dictatorial attitude” against dissenting students and a section of the faculty. “I had wanted an inquiry against the VC’s misdeeds since he took over the reins here in late 2018. I will move court,” he said.

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Various teachers' bodies - the West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association (WBCUTA), Jadavpur University Teachers' Association, All Bengal University Teachers’ Association (ABUTA), Kalyani University Teachers' Association have already registered their protest against the sacking of Bhattacharya and demanded his reinstatement. They also took out rallies in their campuses, while the SFI took out rally in Bolpur terming the decision of the varsity as 'draconian.'