Government will decide: Jadhavpir University VC to agitating students

Appealing to students of Jadavpur University to end their agitation, the Vice-Chancellor of Jadhavpur University, Dr. Suranjan Das, pleaded with students to end their agitation as the decision was not in his hands.

Addressing the media on Friday, Das asked students to understand that the university was compelled to abide with the order of the state government.

He said, "The Vidhan Sabha makes rules for the state and the parliament for the country. The state government has issued the order and being a state university, we have to accept it."

He said that even though they are bounded by the laws, democracy gives them the chance to discuss things and resolve matters.

He said, "We have told them that we can forward their grievances. You can't violate a parliamentary law. We'll forward their proposal and that is all we can do."

"Since this is out of our hands, it is important for them to take the protest to the government and not us," he added.

He also said that the manner, in which the protests were being held, is not a sign of a healthy democracy.

The students, however, maintained that the protests were completely peaceful.

"We have not gheraoed the officials. They are free to go. But they will have to go through us," an agitating student said.

The sit-in demonstration, which locked the vice-chancellor, Registrar and other officials in the administration building of the varsity, had begun at 2 p.m. yesterday.

The state government had issued an order in June directing authorities to make students' unions apolitical and empower a teacher at respective universities to handle union funds.

Students belonging to the three students' unions at the university staged a sit-in-demonstration on Thursday demanding that the Executive Council (EC), the highest-decision making body of Jadavpur University, reject the government order and continue holding students' union polls.