BJP nat'l secy urges Visva-Bharati acting VC to settle Amartya Sen's land dispute

Anupam Hazra said that it was former VC of Visva-Bharati who got into a controversy with Amartya Sen over the disputed land and BJP had not been a party to it. He met the acting VC and urged him to settle the matter immediately.

Bolpur: BJP national secretary Anupam Hazra on Thursday appealed Visva-Bharati acting vice-chancellor Sanjay Kumar Mallick to settle the land dispute of Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen. Hazra met Mallick and placed a request in this regard.

"Harassing Amartya Sen through the disputed land was not BJP's decision, it was Bidyut Chakraborty's (former VC) personal decision," Hazra said. He also discussed holding the traditional Poush Mela in the Purbapalli grounds.

Former Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty had attacked Sen and accused him of being a 'land grabber'. The administration under Chakraborty had put up an eviction notice on Sen's Santiniketan residence 'Pratichi'. According to the will of Sen's late father Ashutosh Sen, the land belongs to him and the Nobel laureate had approached the court with this demand.

The Calcutta High Court stayed the eviction notice, until further hearing. Meanwhile, Chakraborty's tenure as vice-chancellor ended on November 8 and Mallick is the acting VC.

After holding a meeting with Mallick for about 40 minutes, Hazra said, "Traditional Poush Mela was closed for three years. I discussed with the acting VC so that the mela can be held as before and he also sought my cooperation. I will do whatever is required for organising the mela."

"Whatever transpired between Bidyut Chakraborty and Amartya Sen over the disputed land has to be settled quickly because the Nobel laureate is a former member of Visva-Bharati. I am also a former member of Visva-Bharati. That's why I requested the land issue to be settled. Moreover, it wasn't BJP's decision to harass Amartya Sen. Instead, Bidyut Chakraborty himself took up the issue to the highest level for the BJP to extend his term as the vice-chancellor. I have requested it to be settled quickly. The acting vice-chancellor also said that he will look into the matter seriously," Hazra added.