Aliah varsity sets up disciplinary committee

Kolkata: The state-run Aliah University has formed a disciplinary committee which will decide what action will be taken action against students who had gheraoed the Vice-Chancellor and other senior university staff for two days, an official said on Sunday.

Vice-Chancellor Muhammed Ali told reporters here on Sunday that a group of students stormed into his office room, in New Town campus on November 20, shouting slogans and then gheraoed him, the Registrar and senior faculty members for 48 hours.

"Following the November 20 incident a disciplinary committee has been formed to take action against those involved in the incident who have been identified and it will submit its findings to the Executive Council, the highest decision-making body of the institute to give assent to the recommendations," Ali said. He said whatever action will be taken is within the provisions of University Act.

To another question, the VC said while the agitating students were holding the banner of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad Students Union, "there is no elected students unit in the university but we will hold students union elections in coming days."

Recalling the November 20 incident, another university official said demanding stipulated semester percentage figure to sit for exams be lowered and regular holding of classes, a group of students stormed into the chamber of VC in New Town campus and shouted slogans.

The students then came out of the VC's chamber and sat on the corridor outside his room preventing the VC, Registrar and members of senior faculty to leave for home. The impasse went on till November 22 when a police force came and rescued the VC and other officials.

The VC had to go through a health check-up at hospital as he felt sick after the gherao, the official said.

In a similar incident, nine students had been suspended on the charge of manhandling of teachers during an agitation in September 2018. The varsity later allowed the nine students to pursue their present course but debarred them from pursuing any other course. This apparently infuriated a section of the students, triggering the November 20 incident, the official said.