Santiniketan residents hold protest at Visva-Bharati, seek removal of plaques

The state has been witnessing a row since last week after plaques bearing the names of PM Modi as Acharya (chancellor) and vice chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty featured outside the university, but it did not mention Tagore, who set up Visva-Bharati in 1921

Residents of Santiniketan in West Bengal’s Birbhum district held a peaceful demonstration outside the Visva-Bharati University on Friday, demanding the immediate removal of the controversial plaques recently installed on campus to mark the inclusion of Santiniketan in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

State minister Chandranath Sinha (green kurta) took part in the agitation where protesters held photographs of Rabindranath Tagore (HT Photo/Sourced)

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata on Thursday that there would be a mass agitation if Visva-Bharati fails to remove the plaques by 10am on Friday. The university authorities took no action.

Small and medium-scale industries minister Chandranath Sinha, who represents Birbhum’s Bolpur assembly constituency, took part in the agitation where protesters held photographs of Rabindranath Tagore.

The state has been witnessing a row since last week after plaques bearing the names of PM Modi as Acharya (chancellor) and vice chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty featured outside the university, but it did not mention Tagore, who set up Visva-Bharati in 1921.

“A number of intellectuals, artisans, traders and common citizens of Santiniketan are taking part in the agitation. It will continue,” said Aminul Huda, general secretary of Kabiguru Handicrafts Unnayan Samiti.

Teachers of Visva-Bharati have requested the PM to act against the vice chancellor saying he intentionally insulted Tagore and the Prime Minister by installing such plaques. The Santiniketan Trust, which was set up by Tagore’s father, Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, has raised the same allegation.

Visva-Bharati spokesperson Mahua Banerjee declined to comment on the agitation. She said earlier this week that the plaques were put up temporarily and permanent ones will be installed once Visva-Bharati gets the text of the content from UNESCO and the Archaeological Survey of India.

The decision to include Santiniketan in the heritage list was taken by UNESCO at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Saudi Arabia. UNESCO announced its decision on September 17.

The plaques have prompted Congress and ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders to target the Prime Minster and the Bharatiya Janata Party.