'Will ensure campus gets closed': Visva-Bharati VC in fresh row after audio clip emerges

KOLKATA: Visva-Bharati Vice Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty, who had earlier courted several controversies, triggered a fresh row on Wednesday over a purported audio clip of him threatening to close down the premier central university.

In the viral audio clip, which could not be verified, Chakraborty was heard telling the faculty and non-teaching staff: "I will ensure Visva-Bharati is closed down. But I am not issuing any threat."

"Visva-Bharati has become a hotbed of thieves and dacoits. Otherwise how come (TMC leader) Anubrata Mondal gets away by saying the VC is insane," he said.

The audio clips triggered widespread protests but the Visva-Bharati authorities did not issue any official statement.

In another audio clip, apparently of the same virtual meeting, Chakraborty purportedly said: "No sane person will be able to sustain here, considering the extent of theft going on unabated."

"Some of the children here try to break open the locks of a faculty member, but there is no protest. Everyone here is an escapist but wants the full salary at the start of the month. I tried to catch the thieves and hence I am bad for some," he said.

A senior faculty member said the comments were made at a virtual meeting on March 15 where the VC was talking about disciplinary action against some university staff and employees.