JU students ramp up demands; Immediate appointment of full-term VC, release of alumnus
Telegraph | 8 March 2025
Students of Jadavpur University marched with a fresh set of demands on Friday. These included the release of a former JU student arrested on charges of arson on the campus and the appointment of a full-term vice-chancellor.
The protesters, who had so far entirely focused on condemning how the education minister’s car allegedly hit a student on March 1, said they wanted a full-term VC in Friday’s march.
They also raised the issue of funds constraints that, they alleged, JU was suffering from because of the state government’s lack of contribution.
“We want that Sahil Ali be immediately released. He was arrested based on trumped-up charges filed by pro-Trinamool teaching and non-teaching staff. We want steps to be immediately taken to appoint a full-term VC. We also want the funds crunch to be immediately addressed as this is hampering the teaching-learning process,” said Anushna Das, a postgraduate student.
Ali, a former student of construction engineering, was arrested for his alleged involvement in setting ablaze an office of the employees’ union on the campus on March 1. That day, education minister Bratya Basu went to the JU campus to attend the annual general meeting of a pro-Trinamool teachers’ association.
As Basu stepped out of the venue, a section of students heckled him and climbed atop his car, demanding that the minister speak to 40 of them immediately over the resumption of campus polls.
When Basu did not agree and tried to exit the campus, they blocked his car. Shoes were hurled and the windscreen of his car was smashed.
Some students tried to physically prevent Basu’s vehicle from moving and, in doing so, one of them was allegedly hit by the car.
Das was among the students who climbed atop the bonnet of the minister’s car.
On Friday, Das said: “Not only campus elections, that day we also wanted to speak to the minister about the appointment of a full-term VC and the funds crunch. But the minister, instead of speaking to us, ran his car over our comrade, Indranuj Roy.”
JU has not had a full-term VC since June 2023.
Since then, the varsity has been run by three officiating VCs appointed by the governor, the ex-officio chancellor of state-aided universities.
Bhaskar Gupta took charge as officiating VC in April last year.
In hospital recovering from the trauma of another round of campus violence, Gupta turned 65 on Friday, the official age of superannuation at JU.
“The norms in JU allow a person to continue till the end of the month that a person has retired,” said an official.
Gupta’s name features at the top in the panel of three candidates that a Supreme Court-appointed search committee recommended for the appointment of a full-term VC.
The names set in order of preference by the chief minister have since been forwarded to the chancellor, who is supposed to give his consent to the names as endorsed by the chief minister.
“But the chancellor is yet to announce a name for JU,” said an official of the state education department.
On Friday, students marched from the campus to Jadavpur police station, saying if the authorised VC, who is in hospital, did not come to the campus and accept their demands, they would block the offices of the VC, pro-VC and acting registrar.
“We will have an administrative shutdown on Monday. However, classes and exams will be held,” said Debarghya Jash, an MTech student.
Governor meets VCs
Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose met 16 full-term VCs of state universities online to discuss ways to end campus violence.
One of the VCs at the meeting said: “The governor suggested that ultra-Left activists who are stoking trouble on the campus should be identified.”