Amid the ongoing protests by a section of students of the Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) against Interim Vice-Chancellor Shubhra Kamal Mukherjee, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered that no outsider should be allowed to enter the university’s campuses.

Justice Joy Sengupta, who was hearing a petition filed by the interim V-C seeking police protection to enter the campus, also ordered the deployment of state police personnel at the entrance gates of the university.

The court also ordered that if any student or professor or staff member of the university would like to protest, then they could hold peaceful protests.

The High Court’s direction comes days after it ordered that the interim V-C cannot be stopped from entering the campus and directed the police to submit an action taken report.

On Wednesday, Mukherjee entered his chamber on the Jorasanko campus under police escort.

The former chief justice of the Karnataka High Court was appointed officiating vice-chancellor of the university by Governor CV Anand Bose in 2023. Students led by the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad have been protesting against Mukherjee since Monday, demanding his removal and the immediate appointment of a permanent vice-chancellor.  , has been making arbitrary decisions that were “affecting the university’s reputation and academic environment”. They have alleged that Mukherjee has been making arbitrary decisions that were “affecting the university’s reputation and academic environment”.

Expressing shock over the behaviour of protesters, Mukherjee said, “I think those behind the agitation are mostly outsiders and don’t represent general students.”