'Dark Period' says Governor after CU Convocation debacle

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar addressed a press conference at Raj Bhawan on Wednesday. The Press Conference comes a day after the Calcutta University convocation debacle, wherein he had to leave the event without attending it. During his address to the media, Governor Dhankar stressed on how the entire incident had pained him enormously.

"As chancellor, I am in pain, I am shaken by what happened yesterday. These are no ordinary events but an assault of identity built over centuries. It is discrimination on values, and traditions in essence. It is a dark period that should persuade all of us," Governor Jagdeep Dhankar said. 

Adding further the Governor also raised questions on the event and called it to be unspontaneous.  "Yesterday's chain of events wasn't spontaneous. 163 years of tradition Ediface takes hard work broken when Chancellor was forced to leave by the unruly mob when he was invited and he enjoyed authority to preside over the ceremony,"  the Governor said adding that he was invited in the capacity of the Chancellor of the University of Calcutta.

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Governor Dhankhar forced to leave Calcutta University's convocation ceremony

Earlier on Tuesday, Jagdeep Dhankhar was forced to leave Calcutta University's annual convocation event after some students showed him black flags and shouted 'go back' for his pro-CAA stance, calling him an "agent" of the BJP. A similar incident happened when he had turned up to attend the convocation of Jadavpur University. The Governor is the de facto Chancellor of all public educational institutions in West Bengal. 

"There were many reasons why the great moment was allowed to be eclipsed. The domain of teaching cannot be compromised anyway anywhere. An exodus of students can be seen. The incident cannot be forgotten on whatever happened on 28th January. It's the question of how the education institutes are going to run, can the future students be run of the mercy of a handful?" Governor Dhankhar questioned. 

The convocation ceremony was also going to see the felicitation of Nobel winner Abhijeet Banerjee by Jagdeep Dhankar, which was then done by the Vice-Chancellor after the Chancellor was forced to leave. Governor Dhankar also went on to praise the Nobel laureate's efforts to help him come to the stage.

"Abhijeet Banerjee insisted that I should come to the stage for a moment and give him the certificate. Was taken aback by the modesty of his. Then, I thought let me not make an issue of it, because had I been there, the protesters would not let the convocation ceremony start. People wanted to see the moment of Abhijeet Banerjee receiving the award and what they saw was ruckus", said an emotional Jagdeep Dhankar.

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