Visva Bharati studies hit as students’ stir continues

KOLKATA - Academic activities continued to be hit in Visva Bharati University for the second consecutive day Friday following the indefinite strike called by the students’ unions against the sudden hike in tuition fees.

A section of students under the banner of Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad staged a demonstration in front of the university’s central office preventing the employees from entering and carrying out administrative work.

Academic activities also came to a halt as the students boycotted their classes and employees did not turn up in their offices. The agitators, however, exempted the examination section from the purview of strike as examinations of the students of Vidya Bhavan (arts department) were pre-scheduled.

Meanwhile, another group of students under the banner of Congress Chatra Parishad staged a demonstration in front of vice chancellor’s house demanding restoration of normalcy at the earliest.

“We are against the sudden increase in tuition fees but we think the normalcy should be restored at the earliest as the examinations are going on and that students are not be harassed,” CCP leader Bhamor Bhandari said.

Vice Chancellor Rajat Kanta Ray convened a meeting with the heads of all departments to resolve the problem, but no solution was reached.

“Senior university officials are looking into the matter to resolve the stalemate at the earliest,” university spokesman Amitabha Chowdhury said.