Normalcy will return soon to campus, says Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor

Amid continued boycott of classes by agitating students, Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Abhijit Chakrabarti on Tuesday said normalcy will soon return to the campus, rocked by frequent protests over alleged sexual harassment of a girl student.

"The number of students attending classes have increased now. It appears that good sense is prevailing and normalcy will soon return to the campus," Chakrabarti told PTI.

He said that as per the orders of the Calcutta High Court, university authorities are trying their best to maintain normalcy.

The VC had issued an advertisement in newspapers yesterday appealing to all concerned to come forward to end the impasse.

He said the appeal is showing results and with semester exams knocking on the door more and more students will return to their classes.

State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said students willing to join classes are being obstructed by agitating students.

"I urge upon students and all concerned to help restore normalcy and end the stalemate," Chatterjee said.

On the intervening night of September 16 and 17, students had gheraoed the university's VC, registrar and other members of the Executive Council demanding a fresh probe panel on alleged sexual harassment of a girl student inside the campus last month.

The VC had said he feared for his life and called the police which freed him in the early hours of September 17 and also arrested 35 protesting students.

Many of the students alleged they were brutally beaten up by the police inside the campus. Since then, classes have been affected as a result of frequent protests by students.