Raiganj, Feb. 4: The Gour Banga University today allowed formation of the student union at Surendranath College in Raiganj, a day after teachers and non-teaching staff were gheraoed for over seven hours by the SFI following the varsity's decision to halt the process.

Gour Banga, to which Surendranath College is affiliated, had stopped the union formation after a Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) supporter who lost the poll alleged poll malpractice.

Yesterday, vice-chancellor Gopal Mishra had sent a team to the college to probe the charges.

Today, the VC said: "There is no problem in forming the union. I had sent a team to Surendranath College after receiving a complaint. The three-member team has submitted a report. The election was held according to rules. I have asked the college to call a meeting to form the students union as soon as possible."

He said the report was placed before the election monitoring committee. "A meeting was held today. The members went through the report and it was concluded that there was no malpractice in the poll process. We have sent a letter to the principal asking him to form the union as early as possible."

The poll was held on January 28 and of the 42 seats, the SFI won 23 and the TMCP 19.

Surendranath College is one of the few in north Bengal where TMCP lost. The malpractice charge was brought by the outgoing TMCP general secretary, Titun Das. While the college principal had said the union would be formed on February 3, on a letter dated February 2, Gour Banga had deferred the process.

Yesterday's gherao that started at 4pm was lifted at 11.30pm after teacher in-charge Madhumita Roy gave in writing that the union would be formed by February 5.

Today, the college gate was locked up from inside by non-teaching staff.

A few TMCP supporters reached around 11am. By noon, there were 20-25 policemen at the gate as 30-odd TMCP members demanded that the gate be opened.

Vivek Gupta, TMCP's working president, Raiganj town committee, said the staff was engaged in fudging poll papers.

"There was no prior notice that classes would not be held. Neither the principal, nor the teacher in-charge, is inside. We have a strong suspicion that the staff, many of whom are CPM supporters, are fudging poll documents. They are engaged in destroying evidence that shows the poll was unfair," he said.

Around nine non-teaching staff members were escorted out by police at 3pm.

Pranesh Sarkar, SFI district secretary, said the staff members "were engaged in important work related to salary disbursement. They had kept the gate locked because they were feeling insecure."