A day after Visva-Bharati’s notice to Amartya Sen asking why an eviction order will not be issued against him for not vacating a plot he is allegedly occupying illegally in Santiniketan, the state government issued a notice on Monday stating the entire land belonged to him.
The land and land reforms department in a statement said the Nobel laureate is the rightful owner of the entire 1.38 acres of plot, which falls under Surul mouza in Bolpur police station as per land records.
The rooms, house and land belong to Amartya Sen (father Ashutosh Sen), the land and land reforms department said in its notice in Bengali.
The central university has been claiming that Sen is in possession of 1.38 acres on its Santiniketan campus, which is in excess of his legal entitlement of 1.25 acres.
Visva-Bharati had on Sunday asked the economist to reply to its notice by March 24 on the issue of vacating the “unauthorised plot” and appear before Ashok Mahato, its joint registrar and estate officer, personally or through a representative by March 29 along with evidence in support of Sen's assertion that he is not occupying any plot unauthorisedly.
“I hereby call upon you to show cause on or before March 24, 2023, why an order of eviction should not be made against you...,” the estate officer said in the notice dated March 17, a copy of which was made available to the media on Sunday.
"In case you and your authorised representative fail to appear on the said date, the case may be decided ex-parte," it said.
Neither 89-year-old Sen, who is now abroad, nor his family members could be contacted for their reaction.
The economist had earlier asserted that most of the land he is holding on the Santiniketan campus was purchased from the market by his father (Ashutosh Sen), while some other plots were taken on lease.
Visva-Bharati sent three other missives to him in the past two months reiterating that he is occupying public premises illegally.
The university spokesperson, Mahua Banerjee, claimed that Sen neither responded to any of the letters nor took any follow-up action, which prompted it to send the latest notice.
“We have no problem if he deputes someone, but we hope he will be responding to the notice this time,” she said.
Banerjee said Visva-Bharati is not treating Sen’s case separately from similar others and steps are being initiated to free all illegally occupied plots.
There have been allegations from certain quarters that the university's actions may be politically motivated given the fact that Sen has been critical of many policies of the present dispensation at the Centre.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee handed over the land deed of ‘Pratichi’, Sen’s residence in Santiniketan, to him in January.
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