The Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University, Prof Bhaskar Gupta, was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, March 5, the same day students had set a 4 pm deadline for him to come to campus and address their demands.
These demands included filing an FIR (First Information Report) against West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu, whose car allegedly hit a student on March 1 and taking immediate steps to resume campus elections.
Despite the Vice-Chancellor’s hospitalisation, the students remained firm on their demands, according to a report by The Telegraph.
Hospital officials reported that VC Gupta had been admitted due to high blood pressure and dizziness. While his condition has improved, his blood pressure remains higher than normal.
Dr Arindam Biswas, one of the doctors overseeing his treatment, noted that Gupta had suffered a haemorrhagic stroke in 2015 and remains vulnerable to further complications due to blood pressure fluctuations.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Bratya Basu, who visited Gupta at RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Mukundapur, questioned the students' expectations, calling their demand indicative of "anarchy" on campus. He criticised the insistence that the VC meet them despite his hospitalisation, arguing that such expectations displayed "intolerance and inhumanity."
Responding to allegations that his car had hit a student, Basu stated that the matter would be handled by the administration.
Background
The incident occurred on March 1, when Basu attended a meeting of a pro-Trinamool teachers’ organisation at JU. As he exited the campus, a section of ultra-left students demanded he discuss the campus election issue with a larger group. When Basu refused and attempted to leave, his vehicle allegedly struck a protesting student, Indranuj Roy, who is currently receiving treatment at KPC Medical College and Hospital.
On Wednesday, Roy’s father, Amit Roy, joined a protest march organised by the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association, demanding the reinstatement of campus elections and condemning what they termed an "attack on students."
The father also urged the government to withdraw charges of arson and vandalism filed against students, including his son, arguing that their prolonged suppression had forced them into protest, added The Telegraph.
Basu had called Roy’s parents on Monday, March 3, to express regret over the incident. During the conversation, Amit requested the minister to drop the charges against the students, to which Basu responded that he would "look into it."
When questioned about students setting deadlines for the VC and threatening to lock down the university’s administrative offices, Amit Roy defended their actions, stating that the protests were a result of the administration ignoring legitimate student concerns.
