Students gherao JU VC, Pro-VC, Registrar for over 24 hours

Kolkata: Vice-Chancellor, Pro-VC and Registrar of the prestigious Jadavpur University continued to be under gherao since Wednesday evening by students who demanded withdrawal of suspension order on two students on a ragging charge.

The university authority, however, refused to give in to the students` demand and stuck to its stand. "We told the students in clear terms that there was no scope of reconsidering their demands since it was a case of ragging which invited disciplinary action against the guilty students. We are sticking to the recommendation of the anti-ragging committee", Pro-Vice-Chancellor Siddharta Dutta said. "There was no opportunity of revoking the quantum of punishment since as per the UGC rules and regulations, the accused students would have to apply to the chancellor only in this regard," he said. Dutta said he, along with the vice chancellor and the registrar, had been kept under gherao since 5 pm yesterday after a meeting with a section of engineering faculty students on their demand failed in the VC`s office. Asked whether they would approach the state administration to lift the gherao, the Pro-VC replied, "We think we can make them understand. Our teachers are talking to them. In the past also such thing has happened." "We have also not informed the police and would await when good sense will prevail on the students," he said. PTI