JU VC enters campus, students stage protest

The students of Jadavpur University today staged fresh protest after Vice-Chancellor Abhijit Chakraborty stepped into his office, a week after the controversial police action on agitating students.
The students sat outside his office shouting slogans demanding his resignation, stopping short of a gherao this time.
"The VC today came to the campus around 12 noon and went to his office. We have decided to continue with the academic strike unless he resigns, but we won't gherao him," said Gitoshree, a member of JU students' union.
West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi, who is the Chancellor of the university, said "outsiders" had fomented trouble inside the prestigious institution.

"As far as Jadavpur University is concerned, let the students learn, let them go for studies and let others (be) outside the campus... They (the outsiders) should not send trouble... The trouble in Jadavpur University is being sent by outsiders," Tripathi told reporters here today.
"Let the university not be politicised... Let it be a centre of excellent education," he added.

Asked if he has received any letter from R Chidambaram, chairman of the three-member search committee constituted by the state government, to suggest names for the post of JU Vice-Chancellor, Tripathi said, "I've not received any letter from anybody."

The Vice-Chancellor's visit to the JU campus comes on a day when a proposed march to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lal Bazar was called off by the protesting students after the cases against them were withdrawn.
Thousands of students had marched through the city's streets last Saturday demanding Chakraborty's resignation.
Meanwhile, students in the JU mass communication department had boycotted their examination on September 18.