For the first time in the four month-long agitation, West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee here on Friday met students of the Jadavpur University as their hunger strike entered into fourth day. The students are seeking the resignation of University Vice-Chancellor Abhijit Chakrabarti. The talks, however, reached no conclusion.
Besides the 12 students, observing a fast unto death since Monday, Mr. Chatterjee also met Mr. Chakrabarti and an eight-member team of the Leftist professors’ union Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association.
Appealing to the students to end their hunger strike, Mr. Chatterjee said he had assumed the role of a parent in the situation. “I have given a patient hearing to the students’ grievances and have apprised the Governor of the situation. I have spoken to the Chief Minister over phone and will have a detailed discussion later. We are working towards a solution,” Mr. Chatterjee told media persons later in the day.
While Mr. Chakrabarti and the students remained tight-lipped about their meeting, the students, however, announced that their hunger strike would continue. After the meeting, they went back to the University and organised a general body meeting to decide on the next course of action.
Engineering student Shibam Ghosh, one of those on hunger strike, fainted after reaching the University in the evening and was rushed to a hospital. His blood sugar level had fallen sharply, the students said.
Refusing to accept help from the police or the University, the students arranged for two ambulances to go to Bikas Bhavan to meet Mr. Chatterjee, although a University ambulance accompanied them. Other students took out a protest march from the University to Karunamoyee in Salt Lake in the eastern fringes of the city.
The students have been demanding Mr. Chakrabarti’s resignation for calling in police late night on September 17, 2014, inside the campus to disperse a students’ agitation. Students were beaten up and girl students were allegedly molested by the police personnel. The students had gheraoed Mr. Chakrabarti to press for reconstituting the internal complaints committee following a girl’s molestation at the campus.
