As student protests over the expulsion of three peers entered their sixth day on Thursday, a group of faculty members at Viswa-Bharati sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also happens to be the university's chancellor, requesting that he take appropriate action to save the august institution "from further degeneration."
The Vishwa Bharati University Faculty Association (VBUFA) wrote a letter opposing some of Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabory's recent decisions, claiming that "three students have been rusticated, and a large number of faculty members and employees have been suspended or issued show-cause notices" in matters that could have been resolved through dialogue and discussions.
"While the Honourable Chancellor meets with students from all around the country on a regular basis, Professor Chakraborty has yet to meet with students who are our sons and daughters. Professor Chakraborty is bringing Visva-Bharati to an existential crisis as a result of his combative approach and lack of vision "In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, the VBUFA claimed.
According to a Visva Bharati official, the students were given the opportunity to defend themselves before the university's appointed inquiry commissioner, but they were "adamant and unapologetic." The claims levelled against the VC are "untrue," according to the official, who said that the university just wants to work together with all stakeholders to "enhance the transdisciplinary academic standard of the institution" founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.