JU students stage protest against new officiating VC

Jadavpur University remained tense on Tuesday after a section of the students staged protests against officiating Vice Chancellor Buddhadeb Sau demanding that the institute accommodate views of "all stakeholders" while taking any decision about ways to stop ragging on the campus.

When the vice-chancellor was leaving administrative building Aurobindo Bhavan on Monday, students of the SFI-controlled Arts Faculty Students' Union intercepted him and raised their demands. Sau left the campus after around two hours.

Sau told PTI that he tried to reason with the students that an all-stakeholder meeting cannot be called hastily and he will do his best to address their concerns by this week.

"However, they wanted a circular in writing to be issued immediately with the assurance of convening a stakeholder meeting. I wanted to follow the well-established process of going through the Executive Committee meeting before deciding on the all-stakeholder participation issue. Since the students were insistent, we will find a middle path," he added.

The students had been on a sit-in at the Aurobindo Bhavan for over two weeks demanding justice for the undergraduate student who died after falling from the main hostel's second-floor balcony on August 9 after being ragged and allegedly physically abused by seniors.

Joyadrita, a spokesperson of the Arts Faculty Students Union, however, insisted that the VC was not gheraoed.

"We discussed certain crucial issues concerning JU with the officiating VC and want a definite assurance from him," she added.

A university official said along with the interim VC, Pro-VC Amitava Datta also held talks with students to end the impasse.