The students of Bengal Engineering and Science University (Besu) have started a relay hunger strike on campus, while the teachers held an opinion poll on whether the vice-chancellor should stay in office or resign.

Five students from the second and third years took part in the hunger strike on Thursday. They will be replaced by fourth-year students on Friday.

“The hunger strike will continue till the authorities withdraw police from the campus and FIRs against students, announce polls to the students’ union and take action against those who triggered the campus clashes,” said Shyamasish Das, a fourth-year student.

In the opinion poll held by the Besu Teachers’ Association, 85 per cent of the respondents voted for vice-chancellor N.R. Banerjea to resign. Fourteen teachers voted for him to continue in office, while seven votes were cancelled.

“We will place the results before our executive committee,” said Partha Pratim Chattopadhyay, the secretary of the teachers’ association.

On the opinion poll, registrar Biman Bandopadhyay said: “This is a democratic country. The teachers’ union can do what it wants.”

On the hunger strike, he said: “We have conveyed our decision that the police would be removed in phases but we cannot withdraw the FIRs against the students.”