Calcutta, Aug. 22: Presidency University vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia, confined to her office for 22 hours without a proper meal or shower, attended the university's convocation today with help from her colleagues.

Tens of senior university officials and teachers shielded Lohia from slogan-shouting students as she made the 100-metre journey, a job they are not trained for.

The vice-chancellor reached Derozio Hall, the convocation venue, at 3.25pm - a good hour and a half before time.

The hall was packed and the convocation, which began at 5pm, went off without a hitch. About 684 students were to receive their degrees from governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, who is the university's chancellor. "Of the 684, 644 students have collected their certificates," registrar Debojyoti Konar said.

Tripathi had told the vice-chancellor last night to "stay firm" and not buckle under pressure from the students who had gheraoed her and a dozen other teachers. They were demanding Lohia's resignation, alleging that a girl student was molested by police during chief minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to the campus yesterday when she handed Rs 41.78 crore for the university's Rajarhat campus and renovation and beautification of the College Street campus.

Emerging from her office today around 3.15pm, Lohia looked exhausted. For lunch she had curd brought from her home and around 1pm changed into a fresh sari, also sent from home, in the washroom attached to her office. There were no policemen when the vice-chancellor came out.

The teachers formed a ring around Lohia and cleared the path for her, starting to sweat as they pushed their way through the crowd of students in the first-floor corridor. Since the students had filled up the staircase, the vice-chancellor took the elevator. The slogan-shouting continued: " VC tumi chharo godi (VC you leave your post)" and "Ei VC ke chine nao. OLX e beche dao. (Know this VC. Sell her on OLX)."

On the ground floor, the students did not block her way as she got into a car, but shouts of "resign, resign" continued. There were about 250 students protesting.

Lohia had been in office since 9am yesterday, having arrived early to make arrangements for the chief minister's programme.

"I didn't even have a shower. I splashed some water on my face and changed my sari," she said today, turned out in a simple off white cotton sari with a thin gold border. Yesterday, she was wearing a red-bordered off white silk sari.

The gherao had started barely 15 minutes after the chief minister left.

"I am fit and fine. But I could have looked fresher had I got the opportunity to dress up properly. I didn't go home and I don't carry stuff like kajal with me to office," Lohia said today.

The vice-chancellor said she would "never" call the police. "The students are young and they are like our children. They are immature.... I am sure they will realise their mistake when they grow up," she said.

About 30 students had sat on vigil outside her office last night. The students claimed 80 had stayed overnight.

The protesters said Lohia sought evidence when they reported the alleged molestation to her.

"She asked for proof when we told her that a girl was molested," said Sutonuka Bhattacharya, a student of history.

The students also said yesterday's incident was a trigger and that their anger against Lohia was piling up for a year. "Many good teachers were transferred from Presidency in the last one year. She could have stopped that by talking to the government, something she never did. Moreover she has stopped all dialogue with the students. She wants students to seek appointment to talk to her," said Bhattacharya.

But a small group of students spoke up in support of Lohia.

"Why should she resign? She hasn't done anything wrong. I heard some agitating students asking others to position the girl students in the front line," said Shayani Roy Chowdhury, a student of sociology.

"They know very well there will be a scuffle and then they will say women were molested and turn it into an issue," said Shayani, who was part of a group that shouted "We want convocation".

After Lohia reached Derozio Hall, the protesters' next target was to block the entry of education minister Partha Chatterjee. But they were caught off guard when Chatterjee arrived in the governor's car.

After the convocation ended, Chatterjee and Tripathi left without trouble. Lohia came back to her office and had a brief discussion with the students.

The students agreed to let her go home since she was ill. "The VC is ill and we won't stop her from going home. But we will stay in her office," said a student.

Lohia left the university around 7.15pm, 34 hours after she had arrived in office.

What surprised some teachers was the presence of students from Jadavpur University inside the vice-chancellor's room during the afternoon. "This is a problem between students of Presidency University and their VC. What were students from JU doing inside the VC's room?" asked a teacher of the arts faculty.