Gherao at Jadavpur University over admission tests

The members of a students' union at Jadavpur University have gheraoed the office of Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das in protest against the decision of the authorities to reschedule admission tests for six humanities subjects.

Das along with other members of the university's executive council had to spend the night in the administrative building as the members of Arts Faculty Students Union refused to call off the protest that started around 8pm yesterday, a member of Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) said.

At an executive council (EC) meeting yesterday, Das had said the admission tests for English, comparative literature, history, Bengali, political science and philosophy would be postponed as a section of faculty members raised reservations over the legal validity of such tests by.

The EC has also extended the last date for submission of forms from June 26 to July 2.

As soon as the news spread, the AFSU members gathered outside Aurobindo Bhavan, the main administrative building of the university, demanding that admission tests be held on the scheduled date, the JUTA member said.

One of the protesters said they would not budge from the place till the university reconsiders its decision.

"We have begun our sit-in around 8 pm last night and will not move from our place until the VC announces dates for admission test," AFSU leader Pritam Biswas said.

The vice chancellor, on his part, said he had no idea why the students were staging a demonstration as the university has not "scrapped the admission test process but just postponed it".

"We will discuss the issue of legal validity of such tests with the State Advocate General on July 2 and then take appropriate decision. Students will have to wait for some more time for the decision to come," he said.

The entrance examinations for Bengali and Philosophy were earlier scheduled for July 3, English on July 4, Political Science on July 5 and Comparative Literature on July 6.