The Visva-Bharati University has temporarily suspended the admission process on Monday due to the ongoing demonstration over the rustication of three students on ‘disciplinary’ grounds.
Since students have gheraoed vice-chancellors residence, the university has suspended the admission protest citing “physical presence of the v-c is necessary”. Students, on the other hand, claim that it is a “tactic” to deviate from the issue. Students are demanding to immediately resume the admission process and roll back our rustication order.
Students have gheraoed the residence of Vice-Chancellor Professor Bidyut Chakraborty since August 27. Students demand the withdrawal of the rustication order of three students. Three students identified as Somnath Shaw, Falguni Pan and Rupa Chakraborty were rusticated for “disrupting the academic atmosphere in the university compound by assembling at Chhatimtala on January 9 and being involved in disorderly conduct in the name of protest.”
Following the stalemate, the University officials have decided to suspend the admission process temporarily till further notice.
They also issued a statement, which reads, “I am (Coordinator of Admission Cell) directed to notify that, because the vice-chancellor, Visva Bharati is currently under siege, the admission process in various courses at Visva-Bharati cannot process as usual. As the Vice-Chancellor is the Chairman of the Central Admission Committee as well as of the Visva Bharati Admission Coordination Cell, his valuable suggestions, advice, and approval are routinely required.”
It further reads, “For this, the Admission Cell needs the physical presence of the Vice-Chancellor in his office. Given these unfavourable circumstances, as directed by the competent authority, the admission process stands temporarily suspended. Therefore, the proposed dateline may also be treated as cancelled.”
The revised schedule of publication of the provisional merit list and online counselling and admission will be published in due course.
When contacted Somnath Shaw (one of the students who was rusticated), he said, “This is a conspiracy to weaken our fight against injustice. The Vice-Chancellor is trying to deviate from the issue. The admission procedure is completely an online process and our agitation has nothing to do with the system. The Vice-Chancellor intentionally suspended the admission process to put pressure on us to withdraw our protest.”
He said, “It is unfortunate that the Vice-Chancellor is playing with the future of applicants. We want him to immediately resume the admission process and roll back our rustication order.”
He alleged that they were rusticated for protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens in the university.
On January 26, 2020, the Vice-Chancellor – while highlighting that the Indian Constitution was formed by a handful of 293 people – at Purbo Pally Senior Boy’s Hostel had said that those opposing the citizenship issue are going with its preamble and considering it as ‘Veda’ but people of this country especially the voters, who formed the parliament can change it if they don’t like it at all.
Speaking to news18.com, the President of Visva-Bharati Faculty Association, Sudipta Bhattacharyya, said, “The admission process is an online process. The Vice-Chancellor is trying to link it with students’ agitation, which is not true. These are old tricks to pass the buck. When the University can hold the crucial Executive Committee meeting online, then what stops them from continuing the admission process?”
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