The contractual workers of the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) in Jadavpur continued with their demonstration on Thursday to protest against the institute’s decision to lay off many of them.

The protest, which started on Wednesday morning, continued to stall all academic and administrative activities at the central academic institute as a section of scientists and students supported the movement.

The protesting employees did not let the director of the institute, Vibha Tandon, leave the campus on Wednesday night.

Tandon told the employees that a discussion would be held with the agency that had laid off 51 employees but the protesters said they would call off the demonstration only after a formal notification revoking the December 31 order was issued.

The protesters, many of them lab technicians and machine operators for the past 25 years, alleged they had been laid off without prior notice by the agency engaged by the director. Only 41 workers have been retained.

Gautam Sarkar, one of the 51 employees, said the representatives of the agency came to the campus on Thursday to hold discussions with the administration.

“The director was not part of the discussion. Others from the administration held talks with the representatives. More than half of the workforce have been laid off as the IICB management did not opt for the retention clause while engaging the new agency. We have placed our demands,” said Sarkar. “We won’t withdraw the protest unless the order on the lay-off is scrapped.”

The new agency was appointed after the previous one’s contract ended.

P. Jaisankar, the institute’s senior-most scientist, told The Telegraph on Thursday morning: “The office is looking into the demands and you will be updated.”

On Thursday afternoon, Tandon called an ambulance as she felt unwell. She was later admitted to a private hospital on EM Bypass.

IICB is a biomedical research centre. It was inducted under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 1956.

The CSIR-IICB staff and students said in a statement on Thursday morning that re-recruitment of all laid-off manpower and housekeeping staff in the institute has to be done “with immediate effect”.

“Otherwise, the Director of IICB should resign... The unforeseen situation of the sudden termination of the manpower and housekeeping staff has created a hostile environment in CSIR-IICB... The Director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) should always be approachable so that the students and staff can place their demands,” the statement said.

It accused the administration of “abusive behaviour with false accusations” against students and faculty and complicating the “fellowship renewal process”.

“The security officer should apologise publicly for assaulting students and staff,” it said.