Siliguri, 16th December: Members of the Sara Bangla Trinamool Shiksha Bandhu Samiti staged a protest at the administrative building of North Bengal University on Tuesday, by hanging locks, over unpaid Dearness Allowance (DA) for the past five months.
The protest was held around the office of the Registrar, with members demanding the immediate release of pending DA payments. The association alleged that despite the Chief Minister announcing an increase in DA, it had not been implemented. They added that a few months ago, a similar protest was withdrawn following assurances from university authorities, but the issue remained unresolved.
The demonstration disrupted university operations, affecting staff and students who had come for administrative work, including migration certificates.
Ranjit Roy, President of the North Bengal University branch of the Sara Bangla Trinamool Shiksha Bandhu Samiti, said that despite the Chief Minister’s announcement, the authorities had failed to act.
Meanwhile, the acting Registrar stated that a letter regarding the issue had been sent to the Higher Education Department. He added that with the Vice-Chancellor absent, multiple administrative problems had arisen, and the protest had halted several university operations, making normal functioning difficult.