Former Calcutta University (CU) Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das took over as the Vice-Chancellor of the Jadavpur University (JU) on Thursday. This comes a day after Sugata Marjit assumed charge as the interim Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta varsity.
In a move that appears to be student-friendly, Prof. Das asked for removal of the CCTV surveillance cameras from Aurobindo Bhavan, the administrative building of the university.
Stating that he would work to the best of his abilities, Prof. Das said: “A university is a place for students, teachers, researchers, and its staff and a Vice-Chancellor is for all of them. I will carry out the duties of a Vice-Chancellor based on such a relationship. JU is globally recognised for its academics and research activities in the field of education… We have to ensure that it remains firm on its place. This should be done only by interacting with everybody in our university community.”
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Prof. Das was appointed after his predecessor Abhijit Chakrabarti was forced to resign in January after a section of the students and teachers participated in a four-month-long agitation seeking his removal for unleashing police on agitating students in September 2014.
Meanwhile, Prof. Marjit met West Bengal Governor and University Chancellor Keshari Nath Tripathi earlier in the day. After assuming charge on Wednesday, Prof. Marjit had stated that the State government had faith in him to restore normalcy in the University. His statement comes in the backdrop of an attack on a section of agitating teachers by supporters of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad earlier in the month.
“I am very hopeful that within one month, normalcy will be restored on our university campus,” Prof. Marjit told reporters.
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“A university is a place for students, teachers, researchers, and its staff and a Vice-Chancellor is for all of them.”