Kolkata, July 4 (IANS) In the wake of Calcutta University (CU) vice chancellor Suranjan Das demanding action in the assault on university teachers, West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi on Saturday urged the stakeholders to resolve the issue through dialogue.
Das, who along with a section of teaching and non-teaching staff were assaulted on Wednesday allegedly by the members of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), on Friday said it would be ‘untenable’ for him to continue, if the state government did not take action.
“The vice-chancellor has expressed his opinion. The students and teachers should sit together and devise means to restore normalcy. The prime motive of teachers in the university is to teach and students to learn so let there be an atmosphere of teaching and learning,” Tripathi told mediapersons here.
Das, who initially had denied the assault, submitted a confidential report to Education Minister Partha Chatterjee giving detailed account of the ‘assault, the assaulters and who led the assault’.
An acclaimed academician, Das who is slated to take over as the vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University, made the volte-face on Thursday following the teaching fraternity along with eminent personalities hitting the streets in protests against the assault and slamming him for the silence.
The issue has also taken political colour with opposition Left Front suggesting Chatterjee to step down as the education minister while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Rahul Sinha will approach the governor over the issue.
“If the minister can’t deliver or feels he cannot ensure the education institutions are free from unruly elements, then he should better leave the job,” Left Front chairman Biman Bose has said.