‘Anarchy’: Jadavpur University VC Abhijit Chakraborty looks back

His resignation following protests against the alleged molestation of an honours student on the campus. He has been under pressure since calling in the police, who stormed the campus in the middle of the night last September and allegedly lathicharged students to free teachers from a gherao.

JU students celebrate the vice chancellor’s resignation. (Source: IE photo by Partha Paul)

Chakraborty denied having been under political pressure, but said he became the victim of a political agitation. “It was a black day yesterday for the entire political as well as entire academic fraternity of the country. A VC had to bow down to an unconstitutional, undemocratic agitation for the sake of the university,” he said.

He said the agitation was unconstitutional as the students and teachers had defied the governor, the High Court and the government. “I had been patient and not requisitioned police on the campus with the hope that good sense would prevail upon the agitators. However with (every) passing day the hope was shattered by militant activities unbecoming of students.” He still wished the “misguided agitating students” success.

One of the reasons the protests had been so intense was that after the honours student alleged she was molested on August 28 and informed the authorities on September 1, the authorities didn’t file a police complaint. A referendum among students polled over 95 per cent who wanted the VC to resign.

Since the lathicharge, students had stalled all academic activity, including examinations and campus recruitment. Many of them celebrated the resignation Tuesday.

Among the protesters, however, were many who had wanted out after the initial enthusiasm. “I had not told my parents that classes have not resumed. It was scary and I wonder if the loss will be made up,” said a student of civil engineering.
“We have six-month semesters and if we lose a semester because of these, our careers will be at stake,” said a student of electrical engineering.

Some teachers agreed the handful of agitators had held the academic environment hostage and forced authorities to ask the VC to resign.
“About 10 per cent of the students had orchestrated the whole movement and at the end the VC proved the scapegoat. It has sent a very wrong message to society,” said Dr Ruby Das Sain, head of sociology.