Mohammadi Tarannum, the vice-principal and teacher-in-charge of Surendranath Law College in Kolkata, resigned from her post following a 23-hour confinement by student protesters on Friday, September 11, 2026. The standoff erupted over strict enforcement of attendance requirements for upcoming university examinations, exposing deep administrative fractures and sharp political polarization inside one of India's oldest legal institutions.
The confrontation began when college authorities moved to bar students failing to meet mandatory attendance thresholds from sitting for their semester examinations. Protesting students, led by supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), accused the administration of arbitrarily denying exam access after a chaotic academic term marred by irregular classes and flawed record-keeping.
The Overmight Confinement and Resignation Demand
According to college officials, the protests escalated sharply on Wednesday, culminating in an overnight gherao where the vice-principal and five female teachers were locked inside administrative rooms. Tarannum stated that protesting students severed power lines to her office around 4:30 am on Friday, plunging the room into darkness and shutting off fans and washroom access.
During the captivity, an email was purportedly dispatched by the trapped faculty members to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court detailing immediate threats to their physical well-being. The message noted that students repeatedly banged on doors and pushed back teachers attempting to exit, before Tarannum ultimately signed a resignation letter addressed to the state education minister.
Political Polarization and the Campus Purification Ritual
Following her departure from the Sealdah campus under police protection, celebrations erupted among student demonstrators waving ABVP flags. In a striking escalation of campus theatrics, students performed an aarti with incense sticks and sprinkled Ganga water across the vice-principal's office in a symbolic purification ritual, claiming the administrative space had been cleansed of sin.
The incident laid bare intense partisan wrangling across the institution. BJP MLA and newly appointed governing body president Kaustav Bagchi defended the student agitation, asserting that the administration had failed to maintain proper attendance records and had previously operated as a rubber stamp for local political actors. Bagchi had earlier written to college authorities proposing an informal relaxation allowing students with over 40 percent attendance to sit exams.
Disputed Records and Allegations of Targeting
Tarannum fiercely rejected allegations of administrative negligence, maintaining that attendance was systematically monitored and that chronic absentees manufactured baseless grievances. She appealed to the Chief Minister and higher education minister for a comprehensive judicial probe, stating that she was specifically targeted by students who avoided classes entirely.
Addressing political accusations regarding her background, Tarannum acknowledged a past association with Left-wing student politics but emphasized she surrendered her CPM membership in 2016. In a surprising political disclosure, she noted she voted for the BJP in recent elections seeking administrative reform, expressing profound disillusionment that she faced targeted harassment under the current political climate.
Police Intervention and Unresolved Administrative Hurdles
Local law enforcement from the Muchipara police station deployed officers outside the college perimeter during the standoff but did not enter the building overnight. Officers stated they refrained from forcing entry because Tarannum initially declined to grant police permission, declaring she possessed the endurance to remain confined for 72 hours.
Authorities finally breached the campus around 10:00 am on Friday after the vice-principal fell ill, escorting her out of confinement alongside medical personnel from Medical College around 2:00 pm. While the immediate standoff has ended with her resignation, critical questions regarding attendance verification, university affiliation procedures, and the legality of the forced administrative exit remain entirely unresolved.
