Visva Bharati University: Panel to search V-C junked in light of ‘new facts’

The government’s first public acknowledgement of the development came in a reply to a question by Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee this week. Banerjee, formerly of the CPI(M), had asked whether the HRD Ministry had requested the President to reconsider his approval to the key appointment at Visva Bharati, and, if so, what were government’s reasons for doing so.

Responding to the question, Minister of State for HRD Satya Pal Singh told the Upper House on Thursday: “On consideration of the new facts which had come to light after submission of the panel, and all other aspects, including uniqueness of culture and environment and sensitivity attached to the University as well as the need of leadership qualities and other attributes that the prospective Vice Chancellor must possess befitting Visva-Bharati, an institution of national importance and a seat of learning of international repute, the President of India in his capacity as the Visitor of the university approved the proposal to scrap the panel submitted by the selection committee.”
The government is now set to launch a fresh search for the V-C’s post and is learnt to have finalised a new search-cum-selection committee (ScSc) for the purpose.

The ScSc headed by S K Srivastava, V-C of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), which had recommended Dutta’s name along with P N Mishra of the Institute of Management Studies at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) in Indore and Sankar Kumar Nath of the geophysics and geology department at IIT-Kharagpur for the top job, now stands disbanded.

Visva Bharati has been functioning without a permanent head for two years, ever since the regular V-C, Sushanta Dattagupta, was sacked by the HRD Ministry in February 2016, then under Smriti Irani, for alleged administrative irregularities. This was the first time the head of a central university was fired by the government. Dutta was given the responsibility to act as the institution’s head after that.

Visva Bharati is the only Central University with the Prime Minister as its Chancellor. The institution was founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and its alumni list includes filmmaker Satyajit Ray and economist Amartya Sen.