Visva-Bharati on July 21, hit back at the letter written to President Droupadi Murmu by 304 educationists in his support, saying that it will continue to fight Amartya Sen in court. Notably, Visva-Bharati is fighting a case against Amartya Sen, alleging that his house in Santiniketan illegally occupies the university land.
“It is a matter of surprise that many in India and a few from abroad are determined to disprove Visva-Bharati’s claim that Prof. Amartya Sen has occupied 13 decimals of Visva-Bharati’s land illegally as per the legally valid lease deed. Let us make it clear that even if billions of people and who’s who of the world support Prof. Sen’s act, which can be inadvertent as well, Visva-Bharati shall not budge an inch,” a university statement signed by its PRO said.
“The land belongs to Visva-Bharati, and Visva-Bharati is morally bound to reclaim the land which legally belongs to this great institution founded by a Nobel laureate and an illustrious son of mother India, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore,” it said.
“Visva-Bharati would like to put these questions to all, even to those who have made an indelible print in the world of academia. First, the dharma of a V-C is to protect Visva-Bharati’s property. In reclaiming Visva-Bharati’s leasehold land, the V-C is just discharging his responsibility. There is no force under the sun to restrain the V-C from doing so because it is legally enforced as per the land deed at Visva-Bharati’s possession,” the statement further reads.
The statement further reads, “Secondly, can any one of the signatories allow others to take possession of their movable or immovable property? If so, please let us know. Will the so-called self-proclaimed custodians of selfish interests of a globally reputed intellectual respond to our questions honestly?”
“Let’s reiterate that we respect Prof. Sen as an academic and we are sure our legal system is robust enough to render justice. Visva-Bharati is committed to fight the battle legally to prove its rightful claim over the leasehold land. That’s the heartfelt determination of those who love Gurudev Tagore and his brainchild, Visva-Bharati,” the statement said.
Notably, according to the India Express report, In April, the university had issued an eviction notice asking Sen to vacate the land located on the university campus in Santiniketan of Birbhum district, claiming the parcel belonged to the institution and that he was occupying it illegally.
