VBU files police complaint against campus protests in support of Amartya Sen

While the Calcutta High Court issues a stay order on VBU's eviction notice, the university has lodged police complaints against the ongoing protests on campus 
VBU has also expressed concerns regarding heritage buildings on campus | (Pic: EdexLive)
VBU has also expressed concerns regarding heritage buildings on campus | (Pic: EdexLive)

Visva-Bharati University (VBU) has filed a complaint against the distribution of leaflets targeting Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty and other university officials at the Shantiniketan Police Station. The university also filed a separate complaint regarding ongoing and upcoming protests in support of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. “No permission from Visva-Bharati authority has been taken for any agitation/procession/dharna in the Visva-Bharati campus and adjoining areas. The academic ambience of the University was hampered due to the process,” emphasised VBU in its letter. 

Furthermore, the university expressed concerns about the safety of the heritage buildings on the campus, as they fear that "miscreants/outsiders" may engage in violent activities during the ongoing protests. However, it is important to note that the agitations on the campus and in Kolkata are in support of Amartya Sen, following an eviction notice issued to him due to a dispute over the land of his ancestral house Pratichi. The university had asked the economist to vacate his 13 decimals of land in Shantiniketan by May 6.

According to VBU, Sen has been allegedly occupying 13 decimals of the land of the university in an unauthorised manner. On the other hand, Sen has vehemently denied the allegations and maintained that while VBU had leased 1.25 acres of land to his father for a specific period, the contentious 13 decimals of land were purchased by his father, and he possesses all the necessary documents to prove the same. 

Political vendetta?
The university’s moves against Amartya Sen have been marred by allegations of political vendetta. As a constant critic of the Central government, Sen has been at the receiving end of this land dispute since 2020, despite refutation by both CM Mamata Banerjee and himself. ”So much proactiveness in pursuing such baseless claims only serves to highlight the insidious agenda aimed at appeasing the political lords in Delhi,” remarked Prof Sudipta Bhattacharya when EdexLive last spoke with him. 

Recently, Amartya Sen approached the Calcutta High Court over the eviction order issued by the university. Today, on May 4, the High Court heard the case before a bench of Justice Bibhas Ranjan De and gave an interim stay on VBU's order until the lower court passes an order regarding the issue. While this provides temporary relief for Sen, the case is scheduled to be heard on May 10 at the lower court in Birbhum.

Legal cases at an all-time high
It is worth noting that ever since VC Bidyut Chakrabarty took up his position at VBU, the central university has witnessed an upshot of conflicts between him and his employees and students. Suspension orders and legal cases are at an all-time high. VBU is now involved in more than 100 legal cases involving several staff, employees and students. Students and professors have repeatedly cited political persecution and ideological victimisation as underlying reasons behind the VC's actions.

Chakraborty's actions at VBU have been widely criticised by numerous academicians and prominent personalities in the past and the recent actions against Sen have drawn widespread condemnation. Earlier this year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also dismissed VBU's claims about Sen's property this year and warned the university about its arbitrary actions against students and teachers.

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