Jadavpur University impasse: Officiating V-C says he will not discharge responsibilities

Kolkata: The impasse in Jadavpur University continued on Tuesday with its officiating vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University Buddhadeb Sau abstaining from work on Tuesday following his removal by the chancellor and West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose.

Sau said in a statement that he does not consider it 'prudent' to attend office and discharge reponsibilities as the officiating VC 'till the air is cleared'.

"I prefer to wait for the Supreme Court decision (on the appointment of VCs in the state universities). Accordingly I am not going to the office of the JU VC," he said.

Sau was appointed the officiating VC of the prestigious university by Raj Bhavan on August 17 last year but was removed by Governor C V Ananda Bose on December 23 on 'disciplinary grounds'.

Bose has been in conflict with the higher education department over appointment of officiating vice-chancellors of state-run universities.

The appointment of permanent VCs in 31 state universities, including Jadavpur University and Calcutta University, is pending before the Supreme Court after the state approached it in the wake of the governor's move to appoint officiating VCs during June-August without consulting it.

"Due to the ongoing legal and administrative confusion caused by a series of communications, especially from the chancellor's office and the related communications from the state government regarding the functioning of the interim VC JU, I prefer to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court," he added.

Urging both the chancellor and the state government to 'come forward and solve this impasse together,' Sau underscored the need to bring about normalcy in the academic and administrative ambience of 'our beloved JU.' Sau's statement followed the unprecedented sit-in by senior university officials, including registrar Snehamanju Basu, pro-VC Amitava Dutta and senior faculty members in the JU premises a day ago.

Basu and Dutta said key academic and administrative issues facing the institution cannot be solved due to Sau abstaining from attending office since the convocation on December 24, affecting students, faculty and the non-teaching employees as well. They urged both higher education department and the chancellor's office to take the initiative so that important decisions are not be delayed indefinitely.

While the university convocation was held on the scheduled day after the intervention of the state government, the governor on the following day termed the action of the state in support of the sacked VC as 'unauthorised and illegal'.

Jadavpur University Teachers' Association has alleged that an attempt is on to 'systematically destroy' the university and its autonomy and threatened that it will hold protests in a week if no remedial steps are taken.