Harmanpreet cannot attend, JU not to hold 'spl convocation'

Kolkata, Dec 2 (PTI) Jadavpur University has decided to go ahead with the Annual Convocation following the tradition of the last two years and do away with the Special Convocation initially planned to confer honorary D Litt on an eminent personality, an official said on Tuesday.

The university had initially planned to confer a D Litt (Honoris Causa) on Harmanpreet Kaur, in recognition of her leading the Indian women’s team to the recent Cricket World Cup victory.

The proposal had been approved by the university’s deans, the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, and received verbal approval from the Chancellor and Governor C V Ananda Bose.

A senior JU official said while Kaur had been approached, she politely voiced her inability to be the Special Guest at the ceremony, citing difficulties.

"We came to know that the governing body of cricket in India, BCCI, did not grant her permission to attend the Convocation. As a result, Kaur will not attend, and the planned “special convocation” to confer the D Litt has been cancelled. But the Annual Convocation will be held as scheduled on the same date on December 24, 2025," the official said.

The chief guest for the annual convocation for graduating students will be Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) T G Sitharam, he said.

Jadavpur University Teachers Association General Secretary Partha Pratim Roy said students, particularly women, were very enthusiastic once the Executive Council had proposed the name of Kaur, but they are reconciled to the developments. PTI SUS NN