JU students end Gherao; protest continues

After a three-day gherao of Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das, JU students cease the same on Sunday. This was done following an assurance from Chancellor K.N. Tripathi, stating that he would meet a student representative regarding the issue.

The Vice Chancellor and other officials including the Registrar Pradip Ghosh were under gherao by the students of JU since Friday. The higher education department had recently announced that student union elections would not be held in February to avoid any disturbance to examinations held at that time. The students protested against this, sitting in front of the Aurobindo Bhawan, shouting slogans and singing protests.

The VC is a patient of diabetes and has blood pressure fluctuations. On Sunday evening, he felt unwell after staying confined in his room for that long a time. However he refused to leave because the students had asserted that he would be allowed to do so only if he walked over their bodies.

“But I cannot go home because they are like my children and sitting on a demonstration. They have said I can leave but they will lie down on the path and I would have to walk upon their bodies. I cannot do that,” the VC had said.

Students therefore ended their gherao, but continued their protest in campus, demanding for a meeting with the Chancellor. The meeting with the Chancellor is supposed to take place today, where the issue regarding the student elections would be looked into and sorted out. The students have the aim of convincing the VC to conduct elections in all colleges of the state on the same day as in Jadavpur University.