Visva-Bharati rusticates 3 students for three years for ‘gross indiscipline and misconduct’

The decision was taken following an inquiry report by a varsity committee set up to look into the role of the trio during a campus protest on Jan 9

Visva Bharati: File picture

Snehamoy Chakraborty   |   TT  |  Santiniketan   |   24.08.21: Visva-Bharati on Monday night rusticated three students for three years for alleged “gross indiscipline and misconduct” in January this year.

The three students — Somnath Sow and Falguni Pan of the economics department and Rupa Chakraborty of Hindustani classical music — received letters about their rustication on Monday night. The letter stated the decision was taken following an inquiry report by a varsity committee set up to look into the role of the trio during a campus protest on January 9.

They had been under suspension for the past nine months. Varsity authorities had accused them of “forcibly” breaking a lock at the faculty chamber of the economics department during the protest against the suspension of economics professor and varsity teachers’ body president Sudipta Bhattacharyya.

The three students have been the face of protest on campus against the “wrongdoings” of vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty and his alleged attempts at saffronising the varsity. While Sow and Chakraborty are active members and leaders of the CPM-backed Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Pan represents the Left-wing Students’ Unity for New Society.

The letter addressed individually to the three states: “The consideration of the said enquiry report (on allegations against the students), the competent authority of the University proposes to impose upon you the punishment of rustication of your studentship in Visva-Bharati for a period of three years.”

These three students had lodged dozens of complaints against the VC for his “moves to saffronise the campus” that began with the varsity organising a lecture by BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta in support of the Narendra Modi government’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in January last year.

Sow and Pan were among students who had lodged police complaint against the VC after he was allegedly found in a purported video (the authenticity of which has not been checked by The Telegraph) plotting an attack on students who had gheraoed him and Dasgupta.

Reacting to the varsity’s decision, Sow said: “He (VC) rusticated us only because we had raised our voice against his wrong doings...”

Varsity authorities on Monday night also suspended two teachers of the physics department — Arani Chakravarti and Pijush Kanti Ghosh — for lodging police complaints against the VC for allegedly confining a dozen of English teachers during a meeting in February.

The varsity’s officiating public relations officer Anirban Sircar did not take calls or reply to a text message from this correspondent.

 “The VC is ruining the culture of Santiniketan and punishing teachers and students who protested against Visva-Bharati authorities. Interestingly, ministers are visiting the campus but have failed to react to Chakrabarty’s undemocratic ways. Now the time has come to launch a mass protest against the VC to stop him from ruining Rabindranath Tagore’s legacy,” said a senior varsity professor.