Charuchandra shuts after unrest, reopens in evening

Kolkata: In a rare instance, a prominent college in south Kolkata was shut down on Wednesday morning following student unrest on its campus. It, however, reopened in the evening following state education minister Partha Chatterjee’s intervention. But the classes will resume from Thursday, said sources.

In the morning principal of Charuchandra College, Satrajit Ghosh, served a notice at the entrance declaring the closure for an indefinite period after a group of professors including Prof Ghosh and non-teaching staff was heckled and gheraoed by a group of students from 2 pm till 8.15 pm on Tuesday.

Prof Ghosh said that the students held an agitation in his chamber. He informed that the students were protesting against the removal of a security guard who was recruited by a private agency which the college does not control.

“Although we explained to the students that we have no control over his recruitment, they abused us. They even refused to leave my chamber till late evening,” Prof Ghosh elaborated while adding that the teaching and non-teaching staff unanimously decided to cease work till normalcy was restored. In protest of the students’ misbehavioUr, the professors also sat in the demonstration. Expressing his dissatisfaction education minister Partha Chatterjee sought a report from the college authorities. He also criticised the students and teachers. “I am surprised to see the students’ behaviour and also the professor’s protest. Such a situation will not be tolerated,” Mr Chatterjee added.

The college reopened after he affirmed that he supported neither the principal’s gherao by the students nor the college management’s move of closure. Mr Chatterjee pointed out that the college should not have taken a unilateral decision of closing down and instead it should have apprised the higher education department about the unrest immediately.