KOLKATA: Agitating students of the Jadavpur University lifted a 30-hour-long gherao of vice-chancellor Suranjan Das at 1 am on Wednesday morning after the university authorities gave a written assurance to form a panel to forward the demand of the students not to impose students’ council by diluting the existing students’ union.
The students of Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (FETSU) and Arts Faculty Students’ Union (AFSU) had gheraoed the vice-chancellor since Monday night protesting against West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Bill, 2017 which allegedly curbs the power of the students’ unions by depoliticising and replacing them with government-appointed students’ councils.
“A written communication assurance has been given the vice-chancellor that the demand to continue students’ unions in Jadavpur University would be sent to the state government for consideration,” a students’ union representative said.
The faculty body of the university, Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) also lent support to the students’ demand for continuing students’ union and said that the panel to forward the demand to the state government would comprise of stakeholders from each of the agitating body. Sources revealed that panel would also request the state government to extend the deadline of January 31 given to dissolve the students’ union.
However, education minister Partha Chatterjee had said on Tuesday that there was no question of revoking the bill. He also took strong exception of reports of defacing of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s poster in the campus and warned stern action against the accused.