Amid the controversy over Nobel laureate Amartya Sen telephoning Visva Bharati Vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty and introducing himself as Bharat Ratna, the famed economist has denied having any conversation with the VC in recent times, according to a teachers association of the central university.
In a mail to Sudipta Bhattacharya, who is the president of the Visva Bharati Faculty Association, the Nobel laureate said the phone call that the varsity authorities claim was made by him is tantalisingly untrue and that he had spoken to Chakraborty a few years ago, not in June 2019 as was being said.
Visva Bharati authorities had in a recent statement claimed that Sen had called the VC from a number in India either on June 2 or 14 in 2019 and complained about the eviction of hawkers from near his Shantiniketan residence.
It is tantalisingly untrue, he says. The controversy over whether or not Nobel laureate Amartya Sen made a phone call to Visva-Bharati Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty, requesting him not to evict hawkers from outside his ancestral home in Santiniketan, refuses to die down.
In a fresh email, sent to Visva Bharati University Faculty Association (VBUFA) president Sudipta Bhattacharyya and seen by
The Hindu, Professor Sen once again strongly dismissed the repeated claim made by Mr. Chakrabarty, that he had indeed received such a call from the celebrated economist.
The controversy began last month when Mr. Chakrabarty, during a virtual meeting with faculty members, claimed that he had received a call from Professor Sen, who had introduced himself as “Bharat Ratna Amartya Sen” and requested that hawkers outside his home not be removed because his daughter, who visited Santiniketan periodically, would be inconvenienced.
Mamata fury at ‘land encroach insult’ to Amartya Sen Purported list prepared by Visva-Bharati of alleged illegal occupants of Santiniketan land
A furious Mamata Banerjee on Thursday lambasted the BJP for their alleged disrespect to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, adding the economist to the list of Bengal icons that she accused the saffron ecosystem of insulting, and sought his forgiveness on their behalf.
In a news meet at state secretariat in the evening, the chief minister was asked if Sen had illegally occupied land in Santiniketan.
The question was in the context of a purported list prepared by Visva-Bharati a central varsity, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chancellor of alleged illegal occupants of its land, including Sen.
University has accused VBUFA president of interacting with the media without approval
Kolkata
Visva-Bharati appears to be contemplating action against a vocal teachers’ body that recently brought to light a controversial claim made by its Vice-Chancellor about a call he supposedly received from Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.
During a virtual meeting with faculty members on December 9, Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty openly claimed that he had received a call from Prof. Sen, who introduced himself as “Bharat Ratna Amartya Sen” and requested that hawkers around his Santiniketan house not be evicted as his daughter, who visited Santiniketan often, would be inconvenienced.
Following this, Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association (VBUFA) president Sudipta Bhattacharyya had emailed Prof. Sen, who denied making any such call or request to the Vice-Chancellor.