Visva-Bharati on Monday decided to resume “essential services” and student-related activities.

The central university had earlier decided to close “indefinitely” after last Monday’s vandalism over the Pous Mela boundary wall.

The decision to resume some of the activities was taken at an emergency meeting attended by vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty, principals, heads of departments, officials and directors.

Visva-Bharati’s officiating public relations officer Anirban Sircar issued a news release that said employees and teachers would continue to “work from home”.

as the campus was still “volatile” and the environment unsafe for women employees.

Although the release did not list the “essential services”, it did shed light on the “services related to students’ interest”, such as the admission process, exams and online classes. These activities will resume.

The news release added that the varsity would review the situation on August 31 and decide accordingly.

Amid the pandemic, the normal functioning of the university will continue by “following the ministry of home affairs’ SOP, the news release said, referring to Covid safety protocol.

Sources said varsity authorities were under “pressure” as the closure of the central varsity for an indefinite period did not go down well with officials at the Centre.

Students’ organisations had also been protesting against the varsity’s decision to close the campus indefinitely. The SFI on Sunday had sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the varsity’s chancellor, and President Ram Nath Kovind, the visitor to Visva-Bharati, urging that the varsity activities resume.

Referring to the vandalism and past “undesirable incidents on the campus”, the varsity stated that it would “issue a detailed description of why the construction of the fence/barricade/ wall was needed to protect and ensure the security of students...”

On Monday, the BJP’s students wing ABVP protested against the allegedly Trinamul-backed campus vandalism last week. But ABVP also told the Visva-Bharati authorities not to discontinue festivals such as the Pous Mela, which the varsity had decided to discontinue at the executive council’s meeting in July.