The Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) of the Visva-Bharati University (VBU), wrote to the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan again, this time regarding non-payment of salary to the MTS.

In the email drafted on Wednesday, November 1, the staff members blamed the University’s Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty for this ‘discriminatory action’.

“We strongly believe that this discriminatory action was taken by the Vice-Chancellor in retaliation for our letter to you, highlighting his unlawful actions and injustices against us. It is important to note that Visva-Bharati did not issue any official notification regarding this matter beforehand,” the email read.

To recall, VBU’s multi-tasking staff had written a letter to the education minister on October 31 as well, accusing the VC of forcing them to work for his personal interests.

In the email dated November 1, the staff members informed the education minister that all salaried employees of the university received their salaries for October 2023, except for the MTS.

“It is disheartening to mention that this is not the first instance of such vindictive behaviour from the Vice-Chancellor. In the past, he withheld the salaries of regular employees on multiple occasions (February 2020, June 2020, July 2020, June 2021) out of sheer vindictiveness, despite confirmation from your ministry and UGC that there were no delays in releasing the salary bills from their end. Since our appointment in mid-September 2023, we have not received any salary,” the email alleged.

The MTS employees urged the education minister to intervene and ensure the immediate disbursement of their pending salaries, adding that the situation might escalate leading to termination of many employees if they are made to reveal their identities.