Jadavpur University postpones EC meeting due to political transition in Bengal

The office of the governor, who is the chancellor of the state university, contacted vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee on May 6 and advised not to hold the meeting at a time when the new BJP government in West Bengal was set to be sworn in, the varsity official said.

The authorities of Jadavpur University have postponed its executive council meeting, scheduled on Friday, in view of the political transition in West Bengal, where a BJP government will be sworn in on May 9, an official said. Academic matters, including postgraduate syllabi and approval to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 50 lakh, were expected to be discussed in the meeting, he said. The office of the governor, who is the chancellor of the state university, contacted vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee on May 6 and advised not to hold the meeting at a time when the new BJP government in West Bengal was set to be sworn in, the varsity official said. The vice-chancellor issued a notice stating that the EC meeting had been ''postponed due to some unavoidable circumstances''. ''We have decided not to hold the meeting during this transition period,'' Bhattacharjee said. Members of Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) criticised the postponement of the meeting, questioning why academic matters were not prioritised because of the political transition in the state. JUTA general secretary and EC member Parthapratim Roy said, ''It is unfortunate that a meeting of the highest decision-making body of the university could not be held.''