Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Nov. 3: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that he will institute an "impartial inquiry" into the happenings at Visvabharati University in West Bengal.
All employees of the university, including the teachers, have been on strike since October 24. They are protesting against the "anarchic" conditions that they said allegedly prevailed there and also against alleged "financial irregularities". The vice-chancellor has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister.
After his return from Chandigarh, the Prime Minister issued a statement late on Tuesday evening saying that he was "deeply pained by the turn of events at Visvabharati University during the last few days leading to the disruption of academic activities and normal life in the campus". The PM said: "I appeal to all those who are involved in the agitation that they should desist from disrupting normal life and academic activities and withdraw the agitation. Thereafter, I will ensure that an impartial inquiry is conducted into the circumstances leading to the agitation and the allegations that have been levelled against the university authorities and other concerned entities."
