Kolkata: Days after West Bengal Governor was forced to leave Jadavpur University (JU) Calcutta University (CU) without attending the Convocation, Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday expressed dismay after he was not invited to attend the same event of Panchanan Barma University in Cooch Behar on February 14.
“Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University will be held on February 14. Ministers Partha Chatterjee, Gautam Deb, Rabindra Nath Ghosh and Binay Krishna Barman are invited for the Convocation. Chancellor, who has the right to preside, has just no information! Where are we heading!” tweeted Dhankar, who is also the Chancellor of state universities.
Later, he uploaded the pictures (on social media) of the invitation card of the convocation where his name was missing.
In December 2019, over a significant development, the West Bengal government clipped the Governor’s power as the Chancellor of state universities.
The official gazette in this regards was already tabled in the Assembly and it was framed as per Section 17 of the West Bengal Universities and College (Administration and Regulation) Act, 2017.
As per the gazette, it will not mandatory to seek Governor’s permission to call a senate meeting (highest decision-making body) in the state-run universities and in selecting candidates for honorary degrees at the convocation.
Furthermore, the chancellor’s secretariat was also scarped at Bikash Bhavan (headquarters of state Education Department) so that from now onwards all communications between the vice-chancellor and chancellor should be routed through Education Secretary.
In serial number 8 of the Gazette, the rule framed under the “Mode of communication by the Chancellor and Vice Chancellors with the State Government” category, the Gazette number (404-L/OM-143L12019 issued by the state Higher Education department on December 9, 2019), says, “Notwithstanding anything contained in any Statutes, Ordinances, and Regulations or in any rules, customs or usages to the contrary for the time being in force, in every case, all communications proposed to be made to the Chancellor by the Vice Chancellor, of a State-aided University, shall be addressed to the Secretary of the Department.”
However, this is not for the first time when Governor failed to make it to the convocation ceremony.
Earlier on December 24, 2019, Dhankhar was forced to leave JU after administrative officials in the ‘Court Meeting’ decided to go ahead with the Convocation without him due to anti-Governor protests from a section of students and teaching staffs.
He faced the similar situation on January 28, 2020 during the convocation of Calcutta University at Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata.
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