After being prevented from attending the annual convocation of two top state universities, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said he would be presiding over the graduation ceremony at West Bengal State University (WBSU). Dhankhar, who is also the chancellor of all state varsities, said he would discuss ways to improve the performance of the WBSU with the vice-chancellor (VC) and the faculty members on the occasion.
"Would be presiding as Chancellor Convocation of the West Bengal State University on February 25, 2020. The University since its inception in 2008 had its first convocation in 2017. Would avail the opportunity to discuss with VC and faculty how University maybe ever on the rise," Dhankhar wrote on his official Twitter handle.
The governor had recently faced massive protests by students and non-teaching staff during the annual convocation ceremonies of Jadavpur University and Calcutta University, prompting him to leave the venue. He had last week expressed dismay over not being invited to the Coochbehar Panchanan Barma University for their annual ceremony.
Dhankhar has show-caused the Cooch Behar varsity's vice-chancellor Debkumar Mukhopadhyay, seeking an explanation as to why he should not be removed for what he termed was a failure to abide by the rules. "Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University Convocation will be held on Feb 14. Ministers Partha Chatterjee, Goutam Deb, Rabindra Nath Ghosh and Binay Krishna Barman are invited for the Convocation. Chancellor, who has right to preside, has just no information! Where are we heading!" he had tweeted.
Powers of Dhankhar as the chancellor, who had had frequent run-ins with state government, was recently clipped by the Mamata Banerjee-led dispensation, with the enactment of a new rule which states that his approval was no longer necessary for convening a senate meeting or selecting candidates for honorary degrees at the state varsities. In what was seen as a sign of thaw in their frosty relationship, however, the governor recently held meetings with the chief minister and other key functionaries of the government over a host of issues.
