Amid clamour for removal, Abhijit Chakrabarty appointed Jadavpur VC

Notwithstanding the clamour for his removal, Jadavpur University interim Vice-Chancellor Abhijit Chakrabarty has been appointed as the full-time vice-chancellor (VC) of the varsity.

After the resignation of Shouvik Bhattacharyya as the VC, Chakrabarty, a professor of the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, (IIEST) Howrah, was made the interim VC in October 2013.

Following an order by West Bengal Governor and ex-officio Jadavpur University Chancellor K.N. Tripathi, Chakrabarty has been appointed as the full-time VC.

"In exercise of power conferred by relevant laws, the Hon'ble Chancellor (Tripathi) has been pleased to appoint Professor Abhijit Chakrabarty, as the VC of Jadavpur University," reads the order signed by Vivek Kumar, principal secretary, West Bengal Higher Education Department & secretary to the Chancellor.

The order, dated Sep 29, was received by Chakrabarty Monday.

The university students have been demonstrating demanding Chakrabarty's removal since Sep 17 when university authorities allegedly ordered a police crackdown to break up a peaceful sit-in by students pressing for an independent investigation into an alleged molestation of a woman student inside a hostel last month.

Besides the students, several university professors and alumni, and a host of political leaders, including state BJP president Rahul Sinha and state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, too have called for the sacking of Chakrabarty over the alleged police crackdown.

Both the police, as well as State Education minister Partha Chatterjee, have denied the students were assaulted or baton charged by the police.

--Indo-Asian News service

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