Kolkata: Another member of the inquiry committee set up by Jadavpur University to probe last Thursday’s campus violence has expressed his unwillingness to be part of the investigation. Arunasis Goswami, vice-chancellor of Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University, has stepped down citing ongoing admission and convocation preparations at his own university.Goswami told TOI that he informed JU VC Chiranjib Bhattacharjee of his decision on Sunday night. TOI attempted to reach VC Bhattacharjee, but he did not respond to calls. University registrar Selim Box Mandal declined to comment.The university had on Aug 21 set up the probe committee with Subha Sankar Sarkar, former VC of Netaji Subhas Open University, as its chairperson. However, Sarkar sent a mail to VC Bhattacharjee the next day declining the offer citing personal commitments and travel plans.On Monday, former Calcutta High Court judge Pranab Chattopadhyay was appointed by JU to head the committee, which is scheduled to hold its first meet in 48 hours. Students have already begun sending their complaints and evidence regarding the campus vandalism and violence to a designated email address.A senior JU official said the absence of one committee member will have no impact on the panel’s resolutions.Sources said Chattopadhyay has received the VC’s email regarding his appointment and will be at JU on Thursday, though he has indicated he will first review the committee’s terms of reference.Explaining his decision not to be part of the probe panel, Goswami said: “The VC invited me to serve as a member of the committee. I initially asked him not to include me, but he kept me on it. He is a friend, after all. However, on Sunday night, I informed him that I will not be able to remain on the panel. I oversee 624 colleges under my university and must manage admissions and affiliations. Additionally, our university convocation is scheduled for September. I cannot spare the time required to probe the incident properly.”Soon after the formation of the panel, RSS affiliate Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shikshak Mahasangh (ABRSM) had shot off a letter to VC objecting to Subha Sankar Sarkar’s appointment as its chairperson and requested his removal citing his alleged involvement in School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment irregularities during his tenure as its chairperson prior to his removal by Trinamool govt. ABRSM had also questioned the inclusion of deputy registrar Abdul Hasnath.Sarkar insisted he had declined the JU VC’s offer when approached on Aug 21 and sent a mail regretting his inability to accept the request the next day. He was unaware at the time of ABRSM’s objections to his appointment.Later, in a letter to ABRSM president and secretary, Sarkar refuted the allegations and highlighted a Calcutta High Court order of Feb 16, 2022, expunging the trial bench’s order, including adverse remarks against him. ABRSM secretary Bhaskar Sardar, however, claimed they had not received any such letter.
