Visva-Bharati students gherao registrar, demand reopening of hostels

A protesting student said physical classes started at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal on February 3, but hostels have remained closed

Kolkata: A section of students at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal’s Santiniketan has gheraoed the varsity’s registrar since Monday demanding reopening of hostels, holding of exams online and the postponing of board exams in the state.

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The impasse continued for nearly 24 hours even as Ashish Agarwal, the registrar, unsuccessfully tried to leave his office on Tuesday morning as the protestors stopped him.The students began the gherao on Monday noon and prevented the registrar from leaving his office.

A protesting student said that physical classes started at Visva-Bharati on February 3, but hostels have remained closed. “...students are facing challenges in attending their classes...”

Agarwal said he is not the decision-making authority. “The students know this. There is a protocol. I am just the executing authority when the decision is made. I tried to leave the office because it was Shivratri. But I could not step out. So, I tried to crawl out.”

In 2021, the central university’s vice-chancellor was also confined to his residence on the campus during protests against the expulsion of students over disciplinary grounds.

On Tuesday morning, a team of teachers met the agitating students, but the stalemate continued as students were adamant that their demands be met.

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore set up Visva-Bharati, West Bengal’s only central university, in 1921.