Kolkata: Students of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences staged a protest on September 20 demanding the vice-chancellor Nirmal Kanti Chakrabarti’s resignation over an allegation of sexual harassment, financial mismanagement, and transparency. 

Student representatives submitted a letter at the general council meeting, demanding an immediate executive council (EC) meeting and the removal of Chakrabarti. When the general council refused to hold an emergency EC meeting, a protest unfolded through sloganeering, poster displays, and a sit-in against the vice-chancellor. More than 200 students called for his resignation.

The protests continued outside the vice-chancellor’s chamber until 5.30 am on September 21. They were followed by discussions between student body representatives and senior faculty members. The student body issued an ultimatum, calling for the vice-chancellor’s resignation by October 31 or the appointment of a new vice-chancellor no later than October 31, 2025. If the demand for Chakrabarti's resignation is not met, a full-scale protest will commence from November, the students said.

Chakrabarti then sought a list of concerns, to which the students responded with 47 specific demands. However, he left the campus without accepting the demands on September 21. By then, students had been engaged in nearly 20 hours of protest. 

The current protest marks a significant moment in NUJS’s history, the most notable since the agitations against then vice-chancellor P. Ishwara Bhatt in 2018. It has gained considerable support across student sections. The latest developments come a week after the Supreme Court’s dismissal of Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) complaint against the vice-chancellor by a faculty member, citing a delay as it was not filed within the statutory three-month time limit.

A bench of Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Prasanna B. Varale has observed that the judgment shall be made part of Chakrabarti's resume and professional record. The bench remarked:

“It is advisable to forgive the wrongdoer, but not to forget the wrongdoing. The wrong which has been committed against the appellant may not be investigated on technical grounds, but it must not be forgotten. In this view of the matter, we direct that the incidents of alleged sexual harassment on part of respondent no.1 may be forgiven but allowed to haunt the wrongdoer forever. Thus, it is directed that this judgment shall be made part of the resume of respondent no.1, compliance of which shall be strictly ensured by him personally.”

The protests extend beyond allegations of sexual harassment, highlighting a broader pattern of growing resentment over allegations of lack of transparency, administrative failures, and the persistent neglect of student concerns over the past six years.

In a public statement put out by the students, they said:

“It is a collective cry born out of months, even years of silence, frustration and disappointment. It is an action born out of desperation, post the grave allegations of sexual harassment levelled against the VC, which has to be mandatorily included in his resume, as directed by the Hon’ble SC, the glaring lack of financial transparency and the systemic patterns of administrative failures, persistent apathy, and growing disconnect between the administration and its students and faculty members.”

Students’ complaints extend from infrastructural failures and prolonged construction projects to financial mismanagement. While the Supreme Court’s observations provide a backdrop, deeper grievances reflecting administrative lapses have been piling up, culminating in the current protest.

The students, in a statement have said:

“After close to 20 hours of continuous protest, we decided to allow the Vice-Chancellor to leave the campus peacefully. While we have withheld further physical protest action for now, its continuation is strictly contingent upon the administration’s meaningful and timely action to address the concerns raised as well as the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor. We have merely changed our mode of protest but we intend to see through this fight for our university’s future."

While physical protests have paused, students have returned to classes, wearing black bands as a mark of dissent. The protest persists with community engagement, general body meetings, and posters across campus. Students of National Law School of India University (NLS), National Law University Jodhpur, Gujarat National Law University and Punjab University have also expressed solidarity with the students of NUJS in this movement. 

Taniya Basu is a third-year B.A. LLB student at NUJS.

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