Visva-Bharati University (VBU) has served a notice to Nobel laureate and Bharat Ratna, Amartya Sen urging him to return the ‘unauthorisedly occupied’ 13 decimals of land parcel and has also offered a joint inspection of the said land.

On 24 January, the joint registrar of the estate office of VBU has issued a notice regarding leased plot number 201 at Sripalli, Shantiniketan (mouza Surul, JL-104) stating that it has been found from physical survey and land records that 13 decimals of land belong to Visva-Bharati in LR Plot number 1900/ 2487.

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“This is in addition to the land leased out to Asutosh Sen on 27.10. 1943 and mutated in the name of Dr Amartya Sen in 2006,” the notification claimed. The Nobel laureate, who is now in his ancestral home in Pratichi in Santiniketan these days has been directed to immediately return the parcel of 13 decimals of land. The central university has also offered for a joint inspection of the land with its surveyor in presence of surveyor/ advocate Dr Amartya Sen. The letter has created a huge stir in Tagore’s abode of peace, Santiniketan and ashramite Supriyo Thakur has already criticised the move by VBU.

“He is one of the brightest faces of Santiniketan and has made all of us proud globally,” said Supriyo Thakur. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has also repeatedly supported the world famous welfare economist in the past several times and said that she is behind him.