Ravindra Bharati University VC quits over college spring fest controversy

Kolkata: Owning moral responsibility for the controversy over images viral on social media showing young men and women with expletives written on their bodies at a spring festival at the Rabindra Bharati University, its vice chancellor Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury on friday evening submitted his resignation letter.

Higher Education minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters he has “heard” about Chaudhury's resignation letter but it will not be accepted by the government.

Earlier in the day, RBU authorities filed a police complaint after young men and women, who took part in a spring festival on the varsity campus, posed with “vulgar” words written on their bodies.

Their photos went viral on social media and raised a storm, officials said.

Basanta Utsav' is held on the varsity's BT Road campus every year ahead of Holi.

At this year's festival, which was held on Thursday, some young men and women posed for photos with swear words written with colours on their bodies.

A group of four women in sarees had a line of a famous Rabindranath Tagore song written on their backs to which an expletive was added.

Another image showed three kurta-pyjama clad young men posing in front of four girls with a Bengali expletive meaning “care a damn” painted on their chests.

The photos went viral on social media, triggering an outrage, with many slamming the young men and women for showing “utter disrespect” to Rabindranath Tagore and Bengali culture.

The varsity authorities filed a complaint at the Sinthi police station following the social media storm.

State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said those behind the incident crossed "all limits of decency".