Kolkata: Vishwa Bharati University was closed indefinitely on Monday after violent protests against the construction of boundary walls at Pausha Mela ground. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she does not want any kind of construction there. Governor Jagdeep Dhankar expressed concern over the situation. There was an uproar in the Vishwa Bharati campus on Monday in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. A large number of people gathered here protested against the construction of a boundary wall at Pausha Mela ground and damaged the properties of the university.
Sources said that and the university administration had decided to build boundary wall here which started this morning. This fair was first organized in 1894 by Rabindranath Tagore’s father Maharishi Debendranath Tagore. After the violent incident, the university administration decided to bring the matter to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the Chancellor of this university. The university has decided to keep the campus closed until the situation improves. However admission, examination process and emergency services will be taken care of.
Though the Trinamool Congress government condemned the violence, the Chief Minister said that she does not want any kind of construction there. Sources said around 4,000 people arrived near the Shanti Niketan complex and suddenly entered inside. He started damaging property and with the help of JCB, tore down one of the doors of the university. However, the boundary wall construction was stopped after the uproar. Sources said that there is a need for boundary wall in the fair ground so that ‘outsiders’ cannot enter here. Unhappy over Vishwa Bharati’s decision to stop a century-old ‘Pausha Mela’ from this year, a unit of local businessmen on Saturday prevented the university administration from constructing the boundary wall here. The business unit Bolpur Business Committee claimed that it would organize the Pausha Mela.
The committee says that this fair is part of Shanti Niketan’s legacy. Normally, Paush Mela is held in the Bengali month of Paush in the end of December and consists of handloom, crafts, art performances as well as music festival. The Vishwa Bharati administration decided to close the fair, saying that its experience of organizing the fair for the last two years was ‘bad’. The administration says that in these two years it faced a lot of difficulties in getting the businessmen to follow the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal. Describing Vishwa Bharati as a central university, Banerjee said that she had spoken to the governor on Monday over violence at the Pausha Mela ground and told the governor that the state government had a “limited” role in the matter. Banerjee said, “The governor called me. We had a discussion about the violence on the ground. I told him that it was founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore to celebrate various festivals. I also told them that I do not want any kind of construction on that ground. ” He said, “Even before this there was a problem with a seminar on the campus…. I had asked the Superintendent of Police to call a meeting of university officials and local administration. “
Governor Jagdeep Dhankar expressed disappointment over the university uproar. Dhankhar tweeted, “The law and order situation in Visva Bharati is worrying. I am in touch with the Chief Minister to maintain peace in the temple of education. According to the Vice Chancellor, the law breakers entered the premises and damaged property. ” He said that several senior officials, including the Superintendent of Police and the District Magistrate, did not respond to calls made by Vishwa Bharati.
