The Santiniketan-based Visva-Bharati has issued a press release criticising — without naming him — Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, whom the university accuses of being in illegal possession of its land.
The release was issued on July 6 evening, shortly after Professor Sen, visiting his home in Santiniketan, called the Union government’s move to introduce Uniform Civil Code “a bluff” and linked it to the idea of a Hindu nation.
The economist, during a interaction with students, also felt that Visva-Bharati was on the decline, with any opposition to the Vice-Chancellor’s decision being dealt with punishment.
“Visva-Bharati doesn’t insult anyone nor has the intention to do so, but if someone thinks because he is a renowned academician he can grab land belonging to Visva-Bharati, then the administration would not hesitate to take legal action even if the person enjoys the support of sycophants. Since the matter is sub judice, the Visva-Bharati would not comment on the [land matter] right now...but it objects to the comments made by the migrant traveller on the current situation in Visva-Bharati,” the press release in Bengali, signed by the public relations officer (PRO), said.
Also read | Don’t know why Visva-Bharati is trying to oust me from Santiniketan: Amartya Sen
The PRO, the only Visva-Bharati official authorised to speak to the media, did not reply to the question as to why the university came out with such a strong statement against the Nobel Laureate, even though it did not name him.
Professor Sen, who is leaving India this weekend after the brief visit, is believed to have consulted his lawyer after reading the release and chose not to comment since he was not named.
On April 19, the university issued an order asking Professor Sen to vacate, within 15 days, as many as 13 decimals of land. Professor Sen’s house, Pratichi, is built over 1.38 acres of land, and the university claims that 13 decimals (0.13 acre) belonged to it. Professor Sen, who went to the Calcutta High Court, said the 1.38 acres were given for a lease of 99 years to his father, Ashutosh Sen, in October 1943. The matter is still in Court.
“We strongly condemn the highly objectionable press release issued by the PRO, which is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. It contains derogatory, defamatory content and even includes threats of life to students and teachers, which we are seeking legal counsel on. It accuses Professor Sen, without explicitly naming him, of land grabbing while mentioning at the same time that the matter was sub-judice,” Sudipta Bhattacharyya, president of the Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association, said.
