Demanding withdrawal of suspension orders on three students on ragging charge, a large number of students of engineering faculty kept under gherao Jadavpur university vice-chancellor, pro-vice chancellor and the registrar for last 22 hours since yesterday afternoon.
The university authorities suspended two fourth year students from one and two semesters, respectively, on charges of ragging a second year student on August 25 on basis of complaint by the victim.
Both of them - a construction engineering student and another of printing technology stream - had also been asked to vacate hostel rooms immediately.
Pro vice-chancellor Sidhhartha Dutta told PTI today that he, along with the vice chancellor and the registrar had been kept under ghaerao since 5 pm yesterday after a meeting with a section of engineering faculty students on their demand failed in the V-C's office..
''We told the students in clear terms that there was no scope of reconsidering their demands since it was a case of ragging which invited disciplinary action against the guilty students'', Dutta said.
''There was no opportunity of revoking the quantum of punishment since as per the UGC rules and regulations, the accused students would have to apply to the chancellor only in this regard'', he said.
Alleging that the suspension orders would affect the career of the two accused, the students claimed that it was not at all a case of ragging ''for which the two students have been wrongly slapped suspension orders''.
The Pro V-C said that the chancellor had not been informed as yet of the gherao incident .
''We have also not informed the police and would await when good sense will prevail on the students'', he said.
University sources said that the agitating students had boycotted classes during the day and sought cooperation of the students of Arts faculty.
They said that JU authorities expelled three students on ragging charge in 2009.
The university authorities suspended 24 students for ragging a first year girl student of Architecture department in 2008.
