The students of Bengal’s Visva-Bharati university have been staging an agitation since February 28 demanding reopening of the hostel that was closed down during the Covid-19 pandemic.
KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Tuesday asked Bengal’s Visva-Bharati university authorities to reopen its hostel immediately as demanded by students and ordered the police at Santiniketan in Birbhum district to be present when the court’s order is carried out, lawyers aware of the development said.
The students have been staging an agitation since February 28 demanding reopening of the hostel that was closed down during the Covid-19 pandemic. Two police constables and two representatives of the students’ union should be present when the locks are removed, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha ruled after hearing a petition filed by vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty. Chakrabarty’s lawyers told the court that the agitation has created an impasse.
Set up in 1921 by Rabindranath Tagore at Santiniketan in Bolpur town, Visva-Bharati is Bengal’s only central university and the Prime Minister is its chancellor. The campus witnessed a long agitation last year as well when 3 students were expelled on disciplinary ground. The expulsion order was withdrawn after the court intervened.
On Tuesday, Justice Mantha observed that the vice-chancellor cannot escape his responsibilities as an administrator.
On Monday, the court asked Birbhum district police superintendent Nagendranath Tripathi to file a report on the situation at Visva-Bharati. Tripathi was also asked to attend the hearing.
When the vice-chancellor’s petition was first heard on March 3, the court said it would not intervene in the agitation since students have the right to carry out movements in support of their demands. The students were, however, asked by the court to carry out a peaceful agitation.
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Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/kolkata-news/reopen-visva-bharati-hostel-immediately-calcutta-hc-tells-vicechancellor-101646755643855.html
