Jadavpur varsity stir: Academicians anguished

Two leading academicians of West Bengal on Wednesday expressed their anguish with the volatile happenings in Jadavpur University related to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, however, they differed in their assessment of a student tearing up a copy of the new Citizenship (Amendment) Act at the convocation podium while receiving her degree.

Jadavpur University was on the boil on Tuesday as a section of the employees owing allegiance to the ruling Trinamool Congress prevented Dhankhar — the ex-officio Chancellor — from entering the varsity campus to attend the convocation protesting against his support for the new citizenship law CAA and calling him “an agent of the

BJP” in power at the Centre. They showed him the black flag, incessantly shouting “go back” and blocked the Governor’s car, forcing him to leave the premises after a 90-minute wait.

Dhankhar instructed

Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das not to go ahead with the convocation in his absence, and the authorities went ahead with the event citing new rules framed by the state government concerning universities.

A day back, Dhankhar had run into similar protests by employees and students at the campus and returned without the university court meeting which was conducted without him despite his directives to the contrary.

The varsity court decided to hold the convocation, again against Dhankhar’s wish.

There was more drama on the convocation stage on Wednesday, as a student Debosmita Choudhury, who cleared her MA examination in International Relations bagging the gold medal, asked for a moment after greeting the pro-Vice Chancellor as she went up to the podium for to receive her degree and medal.

She took out a copy of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and tore it into pieces, and shouted “Hum kagaz nahi dikhayenge (We will not show IDs). Inquilab Zindabad,” and then picked up her degree and climbed off the stage.

Two leading academicians of West Bengal, however, differed in their assessment of a student tearing up a copy of CAA while receiving her degree