Bengal: Rabindra Bharati University Vice-Chancellor Wants To Quit, Cites Harassment

Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury on Thursday said that he wanted to quit the post as soon as possible.

Vice-chancellor (VC) of Rabindra Bharati University (RBU), Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury (Source: File Photo/Getty)

New Delhi: Alleging the harassment by a section of student union leaders and non-teaching employees, the vice-chancellor (VC) of Rabindra Bharati University (RBU), Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury on Thursday said that he wanted to quit the post as soon as possible. He said that he has already shared his concerns with the West Bengal government but he was told to continue as the VC of the university till his tenure came to an end in September.

Asked if the agitators bore any affiliation with the ruling TMC, he said, "Yes, I think so." "I had informed education minister Bratya Basu about the prevailing situation on more than one occasion, and he promised to address the issue. But things have not improved. I also wrote to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee twice explaining how difficult it was getting for me to work in the face of harassment by some students and staff,” Basu Ray Chaudhury, who had been the VC of RBU for four years, said.

Giving further details, the VC said, "A section of protesters kept banging on the door of my chamber during a protest against offline exams. On another occasion, these agitators repeatedly barged into the room protesting against the humid conditions on campus and threatened to occupy my office during working hours every day shouting slogans.

“For some issue or the other - this group consisting of some students and staff members have been regularly harassing me. I stopped attending the office since the third week of July.” Basu Ray Chaudhury lamented that the education minister or anyone from the CMO did not reach out to him thus far to assure him that the issues raised by him were being addressed “to his satisfaction”.

The VC had in March 2020 stepped down from the post after a section of female students flaunting obscene slogans on their back, distorting songs of Tagore, on the eve of Holi.

Meanwhile, TMC MLA Tapas Roy also reacted to the incident and said, "If the honourable VC has any grievance, it is better he gets it resolved by talking to the government." 

Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMC understudies' wing) state president Trinankur Bhattacharya told PTI that the top leadership of his party would never support anything that would hamper the working of an educational institution.

"We are in favour of students and VC resolving this issue amicably in the interests of all. The TMCP has no connection with the agitating students; it is not behind the stir. We would request the VC to reconsider his decision as we have the highest regard for him," Bhattacharya added.

(With PTI inputs)