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Presidency VC gheraoed by protesting students

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Press Trust of India Kolkata
Presidency University Vice-Chancellor Anuradha Lohia was gheraoed by students in her office room till late in the night today following allegations of police assault on students protesting during West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to the campus.

The VC, registrar and other senior officials of the university were confined into the office as the students refused to let them leave till Lohia resigns.

"They are sitting here and we are also sitting here," Lohia said, adding that the convocation ceremony scheduled for tomorrow would be held as per schedule.

Trouble started after the chief minister entered the campus to attend a function in the evening where she was greeted with slogans and black flags by a section of students.
 

The students said they wanted to talk to the chief minister for punishment to those responsible for the ransack of heritage Baker Laboratory of the varsity during a 2013 incident but were not allowed to talk to her.

"We were protesting peacefully inside our campus when some policemen assaulted some of the students. Eight of us were injured," Trisha Chanda, General Secretary of the students union, told PTI.

The students later went to the VC's room and started an indefinite gherao in the evening.

"We told the VC about whatever has happened but she is not willing to accept that the police thrashed us. We seek an apology from the police and the resignation of our VC for non-action," the student leader said.

Lohia said she is not aware of the incident.

"I do not know what has happened. They told me that some students were beaten. I tried to contact the police," she said.

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First Published: Aug 22 2015 | 12:07 AM IST

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