Visva-Bharati, which alleges that the house of eminent economist Amartya Sen in Santiniketan illegally occupies the university land, on Friday hit back at the letter written to President Droupadi Murmu by 304 educationists in his support, saying it will continue to fight the Nobel laureate in court.
“It is a matter of surprise that many in India and a few from abroad are determined to disprove Visva-Bharati’s claim that Prof. Amartya Sen has occupied 13 decimals of Visva-Bharati’s land illegally as per the legally valid lease deed. Let us make it clear that even if billions of people and who’s who of the world support Prof. Sen’s act, which can be inadvertent as well, Visva-Bharati shall not budge an inch,” a university statement signed by its PRO said.
“The land belongs to Visva-Bharati, and Visva-Bharati is morally bound to reclaim the land which legally belongs to this great institution founded by a Nobel laureate and an illustrious son of mother India, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore,” it said.
Those who signed the letter to the President — accusing Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty of also being responsible for unlawful suspension of students and teachers, illegal termination of the employment of faculty members, and indiscriminately issuing show-cause notices and chargesheets — included Nobel-winning American economists George A. Akerlof and Joseph Stiglitz.
The university statement said: “Visva-Bharati would like to put these questions to all, even to those who have made an indelible print in the world of academia. First, the dharma of a V-C is to protect Visva-Bharati’s property. In reclaiming Visva-Bharati’s leasehold land, the V-C is just discharging his responsibility. There is no force under the sun to restrain the V-C from doing so because it is legally enforced as per the land deed at Visva-Bharati’s possession.
“Secondly, can any one of the signatories allow others to take possession of their movable or immovable property? If so, please let us know. Will the so-called self-proclaimed custodians of selfish interests of a globally reputed intellectual respond to our questions honestly?”
Saying that Visva-Bharati was immortal “unlike the famous reputed individuals who zealously signed the petition to support a seemingly illegal act”, the PRO alleged that the letter to the President of India was deliberately timed to coincide with the hearing of the case at the local court in Siuri.
“Let’s reiterate that we respect Prof. Sen as an academic and we are sure our legal system is robust enough to render justice. Visva-Bharati is committed to fight the battle legally to prove its rightful claim over the leasehold land. That’s the heartfelt determination of those who love Gurudev Tagore and his brainchild, Visva-Bharati,” the statement said.
