Visva-Bharati Refuses To Back Down On Land Grab Allegations Against Amartya Sen Even If 'Billions Of People' Support Him

Hitting back at the letter written by 304 educationists in support of Amartya Sen, Visva-Bharati University said that it will continue to fight the Nobel laureate in court.

The University alleges that Sen has illegally occupied the varsity land.

In a statement, Visva-Bharati expressed surprise that many individuals, both in India and abroad, are determined to disprove its claim that Amartya Sen has illegally occupied university land.

The Varsity asserted that even if billions of people support Sen's actions, they will not back down.

“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, reports The Hindu.

The letter to the President, accusing Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty of various unlawful actions, was signed by notable figures such as George A Akerlof and Joseph Stiglitz, both Nobel-winning American economists.

The accusations in the letter against the Varsity VC include the unlawful suspension of students and teachers, illegal termination of faculty employment, and the indiscriminate issuance of show-cause notices and chargesheets.

The university statement emphasized that it is the duty of the Vice-Chancellor to protect Visva-Bharati's property.

“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," the University statement said.

The statement further questions whether any of the signatories would allow others to take possession of their own property.

"Will the so-called self-proclaimed custodians of selfish interests of a globally reputed intellectual respond to our questions honestly?” the statement said.

The Public Relations Officer said that Visva-Bharati is "immortal" unlike the reputed individuals who "zealously" signed the petition.

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.