The Visva-Bharati executive council, headed by vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty, in an online emergency meeting on Tuesday evening reportedly decided to close the university sine die (with no date set for resumption) in view of the ongoing protests by students against the rustication of its three student leaders.

A formal notification from the varsity to this effect is awaited.

“The VC mooted the proposal to close the varsity sine die and members of executive council unanimously agreed with the decision. The decision has been taken but formal notification is being awaited. It will come into effect from tomorrow (Wednesday),” said an executive council member who took part in the online meeting but did not want to be named.

“The draft of the notification is under process and it would take some time to issue the official notice,” said a senior varsity officer.

Once the decision is officially declared, it would be the first time that Visva-Bharati, set up by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, would be closed sine die. The order would mean closure of all academic and administrative activities, including those underway online because of the pandemic.

Sources said the process to disburse salaries for August, scheduled to be done on Tuesday evening, was also stopped.

This paper sent a text to the varsity’s officiating PRO Anirban Sircar but did not receive a reply.

Many varsity teachers and students saw in the decision the VC’s ploy to thwart the students’ movement demanding revocation of the rustication of Somnath Sow, Falguni Pan and Rupa Chakraborty, who were seen as dissenters against the VC’s “whimsical” decisions and alleged campus saffronisation bid. While Sow and Chakraborty are with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Pan is a leader of the Left-wing Students’ Unity for New Society in Visva-Bharati.

“The university had never been closed sine die. It shows that the VC and his administration are incapable of handling a students’ movement,” said Sabuj Kali Sen, a former officiating VC of the varsity.

Earlier in the day, a protesting student filed a complaint with Bolpur police that the VC directed two varsity gates be shut to stop entry of officials associated with the salary disbursement. The student stated that authorities had locked gates in a ploy to blame the students’ movement.

Rajib Ray, president of Federation of Central Universities Teachers’ Association (FEDCUTA), said it would be an unprecedented incident to close the university sine die because students were protesting against authorities. “The authorities should sit with the students and resolve the impasse,” Ray said.

Sources said gherao of the VC was not new in the history of universities in India and it had happened in Visva-Bharati in the past too, and that did not warrant closing the varsity sine die.

“Many universities had to be closed sine die but for very grave reasons. Academic activities in the university are hit in the pandemic and closure of varsity will have no effect at all. The VC wanted to stop the disbursement of salary to employees. Admission and publication of results have already stopped,” said a senior Visva-Bharati official.

The students, however, said they would continue their movement even if the VC closes the varsity sine die. “We have heard about the decision and it is yet another pressure on us as employees won’t get paid and the admission process had been stopped. If the VC thinks that such a decision would help him to curb our movement, he is mistaken. We will request all the employees to join hands with us against the VC’s move to stop the disbursement of salaries,” said Sow.

SFI state secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said it was an attempt to thwart the movement that demanded revocation of the rustication orders.

“The VC intentionally invited such situations by rusticating the students. The students never stopped any activities of varsity that could force him to close the varsity sine die. If the rustication was withdrawn there was no need by the VC to stage such a drama,” said Bhattacharya.

Sources said, the VC, whose residence has been gheraoed by students from August 27 night, held emergency meetings on Tuesday evening. The first was held with departmental heads, principals and senior varsity officials and second the executive council meeting.

“In both meetings the VC raised the issue to close the varsity sine die and finally the decision was endorsed by the executive council. Under the decision, the closure of the varsity would continue till the ‘normalcy’ returns to the campus,” said a senior varsity official.

Sources said the decision was taken after the SFI took out a large procession on Tuesday in support of the protesting students. The rally was headed by president of Jawaharlal Nehru University students’ union president Aishe Ghosh and SFI’s state secretary Srijan Bhattacharya. Many people from Santiniketan, including residents and traders, supported the movement, along with a group of teachers of the varsity, mainly members of Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association. Trinamul has decided to join the protest from September 2.

“The VC said in the meeting that the protesting students did not allow newspapers, milk and bread to his residence on Tuesday and the gherao is going on for over four days. He said that he would not open the varsity till normality comes,” said an EC member.