Tarannum, who was serving as vice-principal and teacher-in-charge, left the Sealdah campus under police protection after a nearly 23-hour gherao. She said she had not resigned voluntarily and alleged that students had forced her to sign the letter after confining her in the office and denying her food, water and electricity.
"I was forced to resign," Tarannum told reporters as she left the college. She sought an investigation by the state government and said she had maintained records showing students' attendance. She also alleged that she had been targeted after being labelled a Left supporter, while saying she had given up her Communist Party of India membership in 2016 and currently had no political affiliation.
The confrontation followed protests by students who wanted permission to sit their semester examinations despite falling short of attendance requirements. The Bar Council of India's Rules of Legal Education prescribe at least 70 per cent attendance in each subject for end-semester examinations. In exceptional cases, a student with at least 65 per cent in a subject may be permitted to sit the test if overall attendance across subjects is 70 per cent and reasons are recorded.
Students disputed the way attendance had been calculated at the college. Some said classes were not held regularly and complained that early-morning schedules made attendance difficult. The college's website had published a series of attendance reports on September 10 covering BA LLB and LLM courses and had also postponed examination form-filling for second-semester students.
The protest escalated from Thursday as students surrounded Tarannum's office and demanded relief on attendance. Police were deployed outside the institution and later escorted her from the campus. Tarannum said teachers who had initially been with her were removed from the room and that she was left alone during part of the standoff.
Police said personnel had been stationed outside the college from Thursday because of the possibility of unrest. Officers maintained that the administration initially made no formal request to remove Tarannum and that an email sent on Friday morning did not seek her evacuation. They nevertheless entered the campus, monitored the situation and arranged medical assistance before escorting her out. The differing accounts left the circumstances surrounding the resignation contested, with Tarannum alleging coercion while students continued to describe their agitation as a protest over examination eligibility.
After she emerged, a section of students celebrated inside the college. Video and eyewitness accounts showed students carrying Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad flags, sprinkling water described as Gangajal in the vice-principal's office and performing a ritual with incense sticks. The act was presented by participants as a symbolic "purification" of the office following her departure.
The ABVP is the student organisation associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Its presence during the celebration added a political dimension to a dispute that had begun over academic eligibility. Tarannum, however, framed the confrontation as an attempt to remove her for enforcing discipline and asked authorities to identify those responsible for the alleged coercion.
The resignation letter itself cited personal, health-related and family reasons, creating a sharp contrast with Tarannum's public account that she had signed it under pressure. She said the letter had been sent to the University of Calcutta and the state Higher Education Department.
Kaustav Bagchi, a BJP legislator who heads the college governing body, had been involved in efforts to resolve the attendance dispute. He questioned the institution's attendance-tracking system while students argued that deficiencies in class scheduling and record-keeping should be considered before they were barred from examinations.