Professor Sudipta Bhattacharya, President of the Visva Bharati University Faculty Association (VBUFA) and a professor in the Department of Economics & Politics at Vidya Bhavana, has been served with a chargesheet for filing an FIR against the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of VBU.
The chargesheet, issued by the VC Bidyut Chakraborty, outlines allegations of misconduct against Prof Bhattacharya. It states, “It has come to the notice of the University authority from media reports that Prof Sudipta Bhattacharyya, Department of Economics & Politics lodged an FIR at Santiniketan Police Station against the VC making baseless, false, misleading allegations with a view to incite the students, staff and other members of the Visva Bharati community the public at large."
The chargesheet, dated September 22, 2023, cites violations under the Act & Statute of the University and CCS (CCA) Rule 1965 and its amendments. In a statement, the VC's office states that an inquiry will be held against Prof Sudipta Bhattacharya to investigate these allegations further.
The chargesheet also emphasises that failure to submit a written defence statement or to appear in person before the Inquiry Authorities, or non-compliance with relevant sections of the University's Act and Statute, could result in an ex-parte inquiry against Prof Bhattacharya.
The Vice-Chancellor's office has drawn attention to the principle that no university employee should attempt to exert influence, political or otherwise, to further their interests within the university. Any representation made on Prof Bhattacharya's behalf in these proceedings will be attributed to him.
To recall, VBU has encountered numerous show-cause and suspension orders since VC Bidyut Chakrabarty assumed his position in November 2018. The university has, so far, embroiled itself in more than 100 judicial proceedings and has allegedly taken up fights with several employees and students. Nevertheless, most of the interim court orders have been against the university. Prof Bhattacharyya was previously suspended for breaching the code of conduct by communicating with the media — a directive that was issued after Chakrabarty's appointment, barring employees from interacting with the press.