The Calcutta High Court in an interim order today directed that no demonstration anywhere within 50m of Visva Bharati University be conducted and normal function of the university be restored as protests outside the vice-chancellor’s residence over rusticating three students entered the seventh day.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of Calcutta High Court directed that no demonstration can be conducted by any students or any other person within a distance of 50m of the institute, particularly the schools, classrooms, the residences of the vice-chancellor, teachers, professors, office staff, library, laboratory.
The court notes with anguish that the functioning of the university that grooms citizens of the future has been disrupted. The demonstrators were directed to remove any material they have brought into the university and dispose of all litter in an orderly manner. The normal functioning of the university is to be restored immediately, it was directed.
The interim order came in response to a petition seeking normalcy to be restored to V-B in which the demonstrators were holding a stay-in agitation before the gate of vice-chancellor, Bidyut Chakraborty’s residence against the rustication of three students.
The court directed Santiniketan police station to break open the locks at the gates of the residence of the vice-chancellor, the administrative building and other locked structures by 4 pm today. There will be no curbs on the movement of the university students and staff within the campus, it was directed after the first day’s hearing of a petition seeking restoration of normalcy at VisvaBharati.
All obstructions to the CCTVs are to be removed forthwith, it was directed. The court further directed that three policemen from Santiniketan police station be deployed in addition to the security personnel of the vice-chancellor.
There will be no use of a microphone within the campus, it was directed. All the close circuit television sets of the campus were directed to be activated. The court directed the Santiniketan police station to give a report on the steps taken in this matter next Wednesday.
Justice Mantha said that the court will hear the grievances of the three students on 8 September.