A large group led by TMC leaders on Monday demolished the VBU gates and ransacked construction material brought to build a wall around the ground that hosts the annual Poush Mela. (File)

Citing security concerns, Visva-Bharati University (VBU) officials on Wednesday skipped a meeting convened by the Birbhum district administration to resolve the tussle over a boundary wall around the Poush Mela ground on the varsity campus.

According to a VBU official, the institute wants the meeting to take place inside the campus not at the Sub-divisional Officer’s office in Bolpur.

“The vice-chancellor (Bidyut Chakraborty) was asked to attend the meeting in a day’s notice. He could not attend it today. The university feels that the meeting must take place inside the campus,” said a member of the varsity’s Executive Council (EC) on condition of anonymity.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh also seconded the EC member. “If the university officials do not feel safe outside the campus then the meeting should take place inside the campus. No one is safe there after Monday’s violence. Maybe that’s why the vice-chancellor did not attend the meeting,” he said.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar urged the Mamata Banerjee government to provide security to the V-C. “V-C Visva Bharati has intimated, ‘My personal body guard, given by state government has suddenly been withdrawn. On 17/08, four body guards, stationed in VC office, were withdrawn.’ I find it inappropriate. Urged @MamataOfficial to take appropriate steps and provide security,” he tweeted.

Representatives from the trader’s associations, TMC-controlled Birbhum municipality members and some students took part in the meeting.

The meeting was convened by District Magistrate Moumita Godara Basu on the instruction of CM Mamata Banerjee. It was meant to break the deadlock between university officials and local traders following vandalism inside the campus on Monday.

“We held the meeting today with representatives of trader’s associations and other stakeholders. No representative from the university attended it,” the Birbhum DM told reporters.

A large group led by TMC leaders on Monday demolished the VBU gates and ransacked construction material brought to build a wall around the ground that hosts the annual Poush Mela. According to police, which took suo motu cognisance of the incident, eight people, all local residents, were arrested. The university authorities on Monday shut down the institute till further notice and sought a CBI probe into the vandalism.

Violence could have been avoided with talks: Faculty group

Teachers’ and students’ bodies of the Visva-Bharati University on Wednesday condemned Monday’s incident.

The Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association (VBUFA) said it was in favour of discussions with all the stakeholders before any crucial decision by the university authorities. The Left-wing outfit also criticised the rally of faculty members led by the V-C on August 16 in support of the wall.

The Left-backed SFI condemned the competitive power display by the vice-chancellor and the Trinamool Congress.

The RSS-affiliated ABVP described the incident as a conspiracy by the TMC.