Girl students of Presidency University who are from the districts of Bengal and having problems attending in-person classes because their hostel in Salt Lake is still shut, forced their way into the hostel on Monday evening.
The hostel in BF Block, which was closed two years ago following the outbreak of Covid, is still shut though the state government has allowed resumption of on-campus classes and reopening of hostels from early February.
A group of male students from outside Kolkata, who had been spending the night at the university for about a month as Eden Hindu Hostel was shut, had forced their way into the hostel last Wednesday evening.
The girl students from districts, along with others, mounted a pick-up truck at Presidency’s main gate at 4pm and headed to the Salt lake hostel. They held posters that said the girls’ hostel had to be reopened immediately.
Before heading for Salt Lake, the students met the dean of students, Arun Maity, to know what the authorities had done in the four days since education minister Bratya Basu had asked Presidency vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia to reopen the hostels — Eden Hindu Hostel (for boys) on PC Sarkar Street, off the university campus, and the one in Salt Lake.
“The dean of students failed to say anything other than that the university was awaiting the recruitment of superintendents and assistant superintendents for both hostels. We then decided to enter the hostel on our own. I come from Siliguri and it has been extremely difficult for me to attend on-campus classes,” said Sayantani Ganguly, a postgraduate student.
When contacted by this newspaper, the dean of students declined to comment.
The students reached the hostel at 6pm. After holding a demonstration, they forced their way in by breaking the lock on the main gate. Twelve of the students have started staying in the hostel.
Another student said the issue of recruiting superintendents must have been resolved well in advance.
“The Presidency authorities have been saying that no teacher is willing to be appointed as superintendent or assistant superintendent of Hindu Hostel for fear of getting involved in ruckus. But the girls’ hostel has not witnessed any problems. What is preventing them from appointing a superintendent for the girls’ hostel?” asked a student from Durgapur.
When education minister Basu had on Thursday asked the VC why the hostels were still shut, Lohia is said to have told him that no teacher was willing to be appointed as superintendent or assistant superintendent.