The tension prevailed at Jadavpur University on Tuesday as a section of students staged a protest against officiating Vice-Chancellor Buddhadeb Sau and demanded that the institution take any decision on ways to stop ragging on campus should take into account the views of "all stakeholders".
On Monday, when the vice-chancellor was leaving Aurobindo Bhavan, the administrative building, students of the SFI-controlled Arts Faculty Students' Union stopped him and raised their demands. After about two hours, Sau went out of the campus.
Sau told PTI that he tried to convince the students that the meeting of all stakeholders cannot be called hastily and he would try his best to address their concerns by this week. However, they wanted a written circular to be issued immediately with an assurance to convene a meeting of the stakeholders.
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"I wanted to follow the well established procedure of going through the Executive Committee meeting before taking a decision on the issue of involvement of all stakeholders. Since the students were insistent, we will find a middle path," Sau said.
The students have been on a sit-in at Aurobindo Bhavan for more than two weeks demanding justice for the undergraduate student who died after falling from the balcony of the second floor of the main hostel on August 9 following ragging and alleged physical abuse by senior students.
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However, Joyadritha, spokesperson of the Faculty of Arts Students' Union, insisted that the VC was not gheraoed. "We discussed some important issues related to JU with the officiating VC and want a certain assurance from him," he said.
A university official said that along with the interim VC, Pro-VC Amitava Datta also held talks with the students to end the impasse.
(With PTI Inputs)
