Tuesday, December 01, 2009

News @ IIPM - Tagore legacy goes for a toss

Institution is closed as workers, teachers go on strike

Coinciding with UNESCO’s announcement of the year 2010 as the year to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore, Vishwa Bharati, the genius' most outstanding humanitarian gift to posterity, reels under a 10-day-long strike by the staff and the teaching community. The issue started after two Rabindra Bhawan staff were transferred on September 8 this year, following revelation that some ‘unaccessed and precious documents’ of Tagore went surreptitiously into personal possession on September 7. They are Samiran Nandi and Nanda Kishor Mukhopadhyay.

Demanding withdrawal of the order, Karmi Sabha (staff association) sat on a dharna at VC Rajat Kanta Roy’s official residence on September 15. Although the institution bended to their pressure, their attitude forced the institution to lodge a FIR after four days. On October 15, Karmi Sabha threatened a stronger agitation demanding resignation of the VC and started indefinite strike on October 19. A section of the teaching community, under the banner of ‘Adhyapak Sabha (Professors’ Association), joined them from October 27 and relay hunger strike started on October 30.

The university has witnessed incidents like the Nobel medal theft and murder of a girl student by a police driver. Interestingly, the VC also sat on a day’s hunger strike and later met with Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi. The VC urged Gandhi to institute a CBI probe into the whole episode, including Nobel Theft, to end the deadlock. Reports from both sides reached the office of Chancellor Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. On 8th day, agitators softened their stand. Instead of resignation, they urged the VC to be on leave during enquiry and on the 10th day, they withdrew their strike only with an assurance of enquiry by a central agency such as CVC/CAG/CBI.
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Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


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