Pratichi with family since 1943: Amartya Sen to Visva-Bharati

SANTINIKETAN: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen sent an email to Visva-Bharati joint registrar on Tuesday, saying Pratichi, his ancestral home in Santiniketan, had been with his family for eight decades and any contrary claim "to this leased land before the expiry of the lease cannot stand".
The VB joint registrar, set to dispose of the eviction proceedings against Sen on Wednesday, had set a deadline of 6pm on Tuesday for Sen to respond. V-B will consider Sen's mail to the joint registrar and estate officers during the legal process of disposal of the dispute.
According to V-B, 13 decimals of 1.38-acre land, on which Pratichi stands, are being illegally occupied. The state has updated its land records in Sen's name for 1.38 acres.
Sen wrote, "We have seen a statement issued by some parts of Visva Bharati about my ancestral home at Pratichi, Santiniketan, which has been in the possession and regular use of my family since 1943. I am the holder of the land, and it was passed on to me after the death of my parents Ashutosh Sen and Amita Sen. They also purchased other land in close proximity to the leased land." Sen also said, "The use of the land has remained the same over this long period (in fact, 80 years). Any contrary claim to this leased land before the expiry of the lease cannot stand. The magistrate of the area has noted the existing arrangement should be recognised and that no interference or breach of peace should be allowed. I will be back in Santiniketan in June.''
A Bolpur magistrate ordered status quo over Pratichi land till June 6 following a plea by the Pratichi caretaker, authorised by Sen, under Section 145 CrPC. But the order did not stop V-B from taking its decision under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.