Presidency varsity V-C takes ill; stir on at her office

KOLKATA: Presidency University (PU) vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia took ill and left the campus even as students continued to gherao her office on Wednesday evening. An ambulance was summoned to take her home. The students did not stop her but said they would continue the agitation.

Students have gheraoed Lohia’s office since Monday. Though she managed to give them a slip in the early hours of Tuesday, she returned in the afternoon and remained confined to her chamber as students ensured round-the-clock vigil of her office. While a section of faculty tried to mediate , they could not arrive at an amicable solution. Earlier, Lohia could not be contacted and registrar Debajyoti Konar did not respond to messages for a response on the agitation.

The students’ agitation spearheaded by PU students’ union, run by Students’ Federation of India, the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), entered 15th day on Wednesday. “We had four demands over hostel renovation when we began our agitation but now we have seven,” said students’ union general secretary Souren Malik. He said the students had submitted memorandums to the V-C but received no response. “Since the V-C has refused to speak to us, the agitation will continue,” said Deeprajit, a student in the economics department.

Education minister Partha Chatterjee urged students to exercise restraint and that gherao wasn’t the only solution.