Vice-Chancellor nod to shooting of Babul Supriyo movie on campus draws ire

Kolkata: The residents of the ashram at Visva-Bharati University will write a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding the removal of the varsity vice-chancellor Swapan Dutta for granting permission to shoot a film starring Union minister Babul Supriyo inside the "Upasana Griha" (Prayer Hall).

Subodh Mitra, a resident of the ashram inside the Visva-Bharati campus, said that the varsity vice-chancellor compromised with the tradition of the renowned university by allowing shooting of Bengali film "Posto" (Poppy Seeds) directed by filmmaker Shiboprosad Mukherjee inside the Prayer Hall.

"I will write a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee who is also the chancellor of the university and to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise them about the development. I am seeking their intervention to stop such kind of activities inside the Prayer Hall. The vice-chancellor should either be removed or forced to tender his apology in public," Mr Mitra said. Other residents of the ashram too echoed the same and were against the filming of a "commercial" film inside the Prayer Hall.

Lending support to the ashram residents, state panchayat minister Subrata Mukherje said that it was a "crime" to allow shooting in such places. "The university authorities should protect the tradition of such a historic place. It was a crime to allow shooting inside the Prayer Hall. The students of the university should organise protests against such move," Mr Mukherjee said.

Vice-chancellor of the university, Swapan Dutta however said that the authorities broke no rules by granting permission to shoot inside the Prayer Hall. "We have not compromised with the tradition of the university. The shooting was done keeping the cultural aspects of the institute in mind," Pro Dutta said.