Uneasy calm on Jadavpur University campus day after violent protests

An uneasy calm prevailed across Kolkata's Jadavpur University campus on Sunday morning after violent protests by Leftist students and the heckling of West Bengal education minister Bratya Basu the previous day.

The windscreen of the minister's car was smashed by protesters and two of the agitators were injured, one of them seriously, when the tyre of one of the vehicles in the minister's convoy grazed past them.

A university official said a forensic team was expected to visit the campus on Sunday.

Already, five FIRs have been lodged over the incident, and one former student of the university has been arrested. Of the five FIRs, three have been filed by the Trinamool Congress-affiliated West Bengal College & University Professors Association (WBCUPA), accusing the protesting students of heckling the minister and destroying university property within the campus.

On the other hand, the students have registered FIRs accusing the minister's vehicle of deliberately hitting the students, causing severe injuries to two protesting students. A former student of JU, Sahel Ali, was arrested by police late on Saturday night.

The university's officiating vice-chancellor Bhaskar Gupta was allegedly verbally abused by a section of Leftist students when he visited one of the injured students, Indranuj Roy, at a nearby private hospital.

The ruling Trinamool Congress's Shiksha Cell (academic wing) office on campus, which was set ablaze by angry protesters after the minister's convoy left the university, bore telltale signs of rampage as gutted festoons, chairs and other articles were seen lying in a heap outside the room.

Angry students verbally abused Gupta when he went to meet the injured student at the hospital at around 12.30 am on Saturday. They accused him of doing nothing to address issues such as holding union polls. "I understand they are pained and anguished over Roy's injury and we all are wishing for his speedy recovery," he told reporters on Sunday morning.

Gupta also spoke to Basu on Sunday morning and discussed the situation with him, a university official said. "Holding students' union polls is in the domain of the higher education ministry. However, we have repeatedly taken up the issue with the government," he said.

Police personnel kept strict vigil outside the campus on S.C. Mullick Road and in front of Jadavpur police station, where agitating Leftist students came face to face with TMC supporters in separate rallies on Saturday.

The CPI(M)'s student wing SFI (Students' Federation of India) and Naxalite student body AISA demanded that student union polls be held immediately. They also demanded action against Basu, alleging his car had deliberately sped away from the campus, leading to injuries to the two students.

The TMC also protested the heckling of Basu and vandalism during a programme of the WBCUPA, and the assault on several of its members allegedly by Leftist agitators.

Trouble broke out when Basu went to the JU campus to attend the annual general meeting of WBCUPA. Basu, who tried to speak to the agitating students and received their memorandum, was gheraoed by protesters and his security personnel had a trying time escorting him to his vehicle. The windscreen of his car was damaged by the protesting students.

Basu was later taken to SSKM Hospital as he felt uneasy during the gherao and suffered cuts from broken glass shards on several parts of his body, but his condition was stated to be stable and he later went home.

Indranuj Roy, a first-year student stated to be a member of AISA, and another student of the outfit, fell on the ground as the convoy of the minister was trying to leave the campus, with protesters seen hanging from the side of the cars trying to stop Basu from leaving.

Tension continued until late on Saturday over a series of events as an after-effect of the ruckus. On the one hand, the students mainly united under the SFI banner and staged protests in front of the university campus. They protested against an unprovoked attack by the Minister’s associates and ruling party activists on their peaceful demonstration on Saturday.

Meanwhile, SFI has already announced their protest plans for the next two days on the issue. On Sunday afternoon, it will take out a protest march in the Jadavpur area. At the same time, SFI also convened a strike on Monday in all colleges and universities in the state.

On Saturday, amid the protests, the Minister received minor injuries and fell sick. He was taken to the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College & Hospital and was released later.

With agency inputs