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Agitation called off in Visva Bharati varsity on Manmohan’s appeal

KOLKATA: Employees of Vishva Bharati, who on an 11-day cease work agitation, announced on Wednesday their decision to call off the strike. It came in the wake of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s appeal “to all those who are involved in the agitation that they should desist from disrupting normal life and academic activities and withdraw the agitation.”

In a written statement issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Tuesday, Mr. Singh said: “I will ensure that an impartial inquiry” is conducted into the circumstances leading to the agitation and the allegations that have been levelled against the university authorities and other concerned entities.”

“After the assurance from the Prime Minister, we have decided to call off the stir. Since Wednesday is a weekly off for the university, regular academic activities will continue on campus from Thursday,” said Debabrata Sarkar, president of the Karmi Sabha, the union of non-teaching employees of the university that has been leading the agitation.

The relay hunger strike that the agitators had been carrying out in the past few days was discontinued on Wednesday itself, he added.

The agitation, launched by the Karmi Sabha on October 24 demanding a CBI inquiry into corruption charges against University Authorities and the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor, Rajat Kanta Ray, paralysed academic activities on the campus.

The agitation gained momentum when teachers, students and alumni associations as well as local leaders of several political parties extended their support.

With RailwayMinister Mamata Banerjee and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha Somnath Chatterjee intervening, the matter was escalated to the Prime Minister, who is also the chancellor of the university.

“We are pleased that academic activities can now resume and appeal to all outstation students to return so that life in the institute can return to normalcy,” said Amitava Chowdhury, spokesperson for Vishva Bharati.

“We have submitted a list of demands including an inquiry by a central investigating agency into matters of financial mismanagement that we are expecting to be met in a month’s time,” Mr. Sarkar said.

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