While students call out Vice-Chancellors of various universities for not being proactive, here is a VC who is integral to university affairs. So much so that his presence is necessary for conducting admissions and publishing results online. Case in point: Visva-Bharati — this central university and an institution of national importance has suspended their admission process and publication of results because its Vice-Chancellor Dr Bidyut Chakrabarty is "under siege" with students protesting outside his residence.
In subsequent notices, the Joint-Registrar (Examinations) and the Coordinator of the Admission Coordination Cell said that that the VC needs to be there during the admission process and the publication of results because "his presence is necessary for seeking his approvals, direction and production of voluminous documents, files, etc before him". It is pertinent to mention that the admission and publication of results are done online now. (There have been no reports of internet outages in the area.) "The demand for the physical presence of the VC of any university for the admission and release of results is unforeseen," said sources at the university.
The students have been protesting against the rustication of three students — Falguni Pan (I MA Economics), who was rusticated along with Rupa Chakraborty (II MA Hindustani Classical Music) and Somnath Sow (I MA Economics). VBU has officially rusticated the three students accused of an "alleged act of gross indiscipline and misconduct". It's been three days and the students have been protesting in front of the Vice-Chancellor's residence since. The sit-in, they said, will continue till their rustication is revoked. They have also garnered some support from not just their classmates but from civil society.
