SANTINIKETAN/KOLKATA: Visva-Bharati students began winding up their agitation on Thursday, a day after the Calcutta high court order, without waiting for varsity authorities to allow their three rusticated peers to participate in academic activities.
“We removed all flags and banners from the dharna site soon after the court order. We had to wait for a day for the decorator to dismantle the pandal. Our dharna has ended, but we will continue our movement in some other form,” said Somnath Sou, one of the three rusticated students.
The high court had on Wednesday “kept in abeyance” the rustication of the three students for a period of three years. It had also held that students must participate in “normal academic activities”. However, Visva-Bharati is still silent on the matter.
Rusticated student Falguni Pan said he had sent an online request to the authorities following the court order. “I sent an email to the proctor, urging him to allow me to attend my economics classes. There has been no response so far,” he said. Rupa Chakraborty, another student, too wrote to the proctor expressing her wish to join classes from Thursday.
Visva-Bharati has, meanwhile, taken exception to students blocking the car ferrying acting registrar Ashok Mahato and public relations officer Tanmay Nag to the vice-chancellor’s official residence at Purbita on Wednesday.
“They were going there to discuss the contents of the HC order and get the draft notification signed by the VC. But the agitating students didn’t let that happen. The university may file a contempt application in court before the next hearing on Wednesday, citing how a section of students came in the way of its officials in violation of the court order,” said Visva-Bharati counsel Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee.
President of Visva-Bharati Faculty Association and suspended economics teacher Sudipta Bhattacharyya hailed the students’ decision to end the dharna. “We welcome the court order and are complying with it in letter and spirit. The decision to wind up the dharna was taken a day before. The delay in dismantling the pandal is because we were waiting for the decorator to come and take away the tables and chairs. Our movement, however, will continue,” the teacher said.
