Kolkata, Sep 7 (PTI) Amid the conflict between West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose and the TMC government over the appointment of several interim vice-chancellors in state universities, a pro-Trinamool Congress platform of former VCs and professors Thursday announced to hold a protest gathering before the Raj Bhavan gates here.

A "peaceful and silent protest" will be held on September 8, Educationists' Forum spokesperson and former VC of North Bengal University Om Prakash Mishra said in a statement.

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People associated and interested in higher education will hold the protest opposite the north gate of Raj Bhavan and will be led by eminent educationists of Bengal. They will carry placards against the "complete chaos" unleashed by the governor, who is the ex officio chancellor of the state universities, against the higher education system of the state by appointing interim VCs at his own will, he said.

"We will also protest against the inaction of the governor over the bills passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on subjects relating to higher education, which is unconstitutional," he said.

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The protesters will present a memorandum to the governor.

Mishra termed comments made by Bose about the functioning of the state universities and their management, which were telecast by the electronic media during the day as "blatant lies".

Former VC and senior professor Debnarayan Bandyopadhyay is among key members of the forum.

In a video message on Thursday, Governor Bose claimed that there are allegations against some of the VCs and asserted that he will continue his fight to make the state universities free of corruption and violence.

"There are charges of corruption against some (VCs), charges of harassment of female students by some others, while some others are involved in political game. That is the reason I could not go by the choice of the state government while appointing interim VCs ... I want universities in the state to be free of violence, free of corruption and be the best in India," Bose said.

His response came after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's blistering attack against him during a Teachers' Day programme, where she accused him of interfering in the state's education system and threatened to sit on a dharna outside the Raj Bhavan.

Bose said during the day the chief minister is welcome to hold her protest inside the Raj Bhavan as "honoured guest". Banerjee said VCs must be picked from among those suggested by the five-member search committee and alleged that Bose was appointing people at his will with no regard to the suggestions of the panel.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)