Anuradha Lohia, the vice-chancellor of Presidency University, was held captive through the night on Friday and until Saturday afternoon by a group of students demanding her resignation.

But the vice-chancellor held her ground and, protected by teachers and the administrative staff who threw a ring around her, managed to reach the venue of a convocation and ensured the smooth conduct of the programme. An unwell Lohia eventually left the campus on Saturday evening — nearly 26 hours after the siege began. 
Although the VC was no longer their hostage, the group of students said their protest would continue. 

Swapan Chakravorty, distinguished university professor, Presidency University, and the former mentor of the varsity, was with the vice-chancellor on Saturday through the gherao. A teacher who has seen many a protest in Jadavpur University when he had taught there, Chakravorty shares his views on the events at Presidency University:

Now I have seen student movements both at Jadavpur University and Presidency. The demand was the same - resignation of the vice-chancellor. The slogans, calling for a boycott of the convocation, are also identical.

I didn't support the way the JU VC was made to resign. But at JU, there was at least a build-up to the movement. Abhijit Chakrabarti (the then JU vice-chancellor) had asked the heads of inter-disciplinary schools to resign. There was an allegation that no probe was conducted into a girl student's complaint of molestation.

Then he had called police into the campus late in the night and all these together had created dissent among several sections of the university. Even some teachers who did not actively take part in the movement were frustrated.

At Presidency University, I find no ground for such an agitation against the VC. Even if there were a ground, the way the movement is being conducted is extreme and does not match the alleged reason. Yesterday, the chief minister came to the campus and there was this allegation of police beating up some students.

Even before any probe could start to look into the allegation, the students started demanding the VC's resignation and gave the call for a boycott of the convocation.

The convocation should be a sacrosanct event for a university, which comes once in a student's life. So boycotting such an event is unfortunate.

I have seen it at JU and now the same thing happened at Presidency. In the past, there have been many student movements but boycotting a convocation is a new phenomenon.

I have heard that in the 1960s, protesting students would tear away their degree certificates awarded at the convocation. But several decades later, now I see this call for boycotting the event. But the boycotting is now shorn of risk as students absenting the convocation are later sent degrees to their residential addresses.

Students of Presidency University are not willing to hold any discussions at the moment and only want the VC's resignation. This is not the way a students' movement can go on, where you'll set conditions and ask the other party to merely agree to it.

During the discussions at the VC's room today (Saturday) evening, I heard students saying that they would let the VC leave the office, but would occupy her office. I told the students they should not occupy her office.

The most unfortunate part of the agitation is that students are resorting to personal attacks on VC Lohia. This is not acceptable.

From Friday evening, students had staged a sit-in at her chamber. The air within her room had become suffocating because of the constant presence of students and media persons.

Defacement of the walls within her chamber is also not acceptable. But it's happening.

I have heard they have grievances against teachers being transferred. It's really unfortunate that the state government is unwilling to release from the West Bengal Education Service teachers of the erstwhile Presidency College whose services have been confirmed at the university. The government is transferring those teachers from Presidency to government colleges. This issue needs to be taken up with the state government and VC Lohia can't be held responsible for this.

The "no-negotiations, only-resignation" demand is unacceptable.

Popular opinion does matter but we have to understand here we are not discussing a tyrant or, for that matter, any threat to state security. We can raise demands but, at the same time, they should have the sense of proportion in terms of importance.

I know many of the students taking part in the movement are good at studies and I hope they will finally find a way to end the impasse.