After two-and-a-half years of administrative vacuum, Kolkata's Jadavpur University on Monday formally welcomed its new Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya. The appointment comes in the wake of the Supreme Court directing the state government to fill up vacancies across six state universities.
Prof. Bhattacharya, who spent more than three decades as both a student and teacher at the university, described JU as his “second home.”
Speaking to reporters, he said, “Jadavpur has its own character and individuality, which must be respected. At the same time, all the stakeholders have responsibilities, and they will know what should and what should not be done," he noted.
On the current academic session and Higher Secondary coordination, he added optimistically, “Both are equally important. With everyone’s cooperation, I’m hopeful there will be no major issues.”
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Will student elections return to JU?
When asked about the long-awaited student union elections, Prof. Bhattacharya clarified, “During my tenure as Pro-VC from 2019 to 2023, there were several calls for holding elections. I had written to the authorities back then. Personally, I believe student union elections should be held, but government approval is required. I will speak to the state government and try to obtain permission as early as possible.”
Faculty voices hope for revival of campus democracy
To know the academic fraternity's take on the Vice Chancellor’s stance on students' elections, News Ei Samay spoke to a senior professor from Jadavpur University. Prof. Amitava Gupta, a senior professor from JU, reacting to the VC’s remarks, said, “Of course. I mean, I don't think there is any doubt in anybody's mind about this. And he is perfectly right and within his rights to actually... But as I say that the university is a government entity and it has to work in accordance with the law of the land.”
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“If you don't have a vice-chancellor for a long time, the head of the institute, morale of all stakeholders goes pretty low… all democratic institutions are crippled. So, this is a situation that nobody likes. And I'm sure he's quite right when he says that he wants the elections to run.”
Looking ahead, expressing optimism for the university's future, Prof. Gupta said, " We are looking forward to Jadavpur soaring high once again… the situation in the university, as I said before, has not been very bad. And now it can move only in one direction, and that is towards progress."
