Case in HC seeking lifting of gherao from Visva-Bharati VC residence

They were rusticated for three years last month.

The Visva-Bharati university and its Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty on Wednesday moved the Calcutta High Court praying for orders to the West Bengal police to ensure lifting of a gherao of his official residence by some people who are demanding revocation of rustication order of three students.

Claiming that the VC's official residence is under siege since the evening of August 27, the petitioners stated that the executive council of the university on the next day rusticated the three students for three years.

Alleging that the said students had indulged in gross misconduct, the university and its VC prayed for appropriate orders directing the West Bengal police to ensure free ingress and egress at the official residence of Chakrabarty.

The petitioners' lawyer claimed that the matter was mentioned before the court of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha on Wednesday seeking urgent hearing in view of the impasse arising out of the gherao of the VC's residence and some other offices of the university at Santiniketan.

Their lawyer Victor Chatterjee stated that the court has granted leave for the matter to be listed for hearing on Thursday.

Claiming that the agitation was politically motivated, the petitioners stated that the petition was moved challenging the alleged inaction by the authorities in ensuring free movement of the VC of the central university.

They made the West Bengal government, the Union government, the director general of state police, Birbhum district superintendent of police and the officer in-charge of Shantiniketan police station parties in the matter. Two students of the economics department and one of the music department were put under suspension in January this year for alleged disorderly conduct during a protest against the VC on the campus. They were rusticated for three years last month.