Outside JU gates, ABVP threatens to ‘chop off legs of anti-nationals’

The rally organised by the ABVP state unit on Monday to protest against “growing anti-nationalism in educational institutions”, accused JU students of targeting a Dalit, Sandip Das, due to his caste.

Das, a ABVP supporter, has been named in the police complaint filed by the JU administration following the clashes. The complaint alleges the involvement of four outsiders, including Das, who allegedly molested girl students in the commotion that ensued after the open-air screening of the film.

“They targeted Sandip Das and asked him what his full name was. When he reluctantly revealed his full name, the students beat him up, saying that a Dalit has no place in Jadavpur University,” said Subir Haldar, ABVP’s state secretary, at the rally that began from Gol Park and concluded outside the gates of JU.

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Haldar, who addressed about a hundred ABVP supporters, added: “Our fight against anti-nationals activities will continue. If they step out of the campus, we will chop off their legs.” Another ABVP leader, Suman Dutta, went on to accuse “JU girls” of indulging in “unnecessary drama”.

“These girls claim to be molested. Someone should tell them that only girls who have shame can be molested… These girls kiss men openly. This is what they do all day,” he said.

Titir Chakraborty, assistant general secretary of JU’s Arts students association, denied all allegations. “After the film was screened, outsiders who came for the screening and identified themselves as ABVP members, started abusing us. Male students were shoved around while women were sexually assaulted. They grabbed us, pushed us, shoved us and manhandled us,” she said.

“We managed to catch hold of only four of the hundred-odd people who were there. One of them was later identified as Sandip Das. He was never asked what his caste was. All these accusations are baseless,” said Chakraborty — one of the 10 girl students who got an FIR lodged against the four ABVP members.

To avoid any untoward incident, police had put up three barricades outside the campus. The JU students came out of the campus and shouted slogans against ABVP but any untoward incident was averted by police.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh distanced himself from Haldar’s comments. “The agitation was held to ensure an ideal academic atmosphere in JU. But if Halder has made such comments, we definitely do not endorse to it… The issue is that freedom of speech and expression was for all and not for a particular group and also the need to instil a feeling of nationalism among students who have gone astray,” Ghosh said.

State Education Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee refused to comment on the issue.
Both Congress and CPM were quick to equate Chatterjee’s silence to the alleged tacit understanding between Trinamool and BJP. “It is a mirror image of what is happening at the Parliament. This tacit understanding is now open for all to see,” said state Congress president and MP Adhir Chowdhury.

Claiming that the strength of RSS has increased during Trinamool’s reign, he added: “Mamata has been patronising RSS and VHP for several years now. During her reign, not only RSS has opened unprecedented number of branches in Bengal but its chief Mohan Bhagwat has addressed a rally in Kolkata.”

CPM MP Mohammed Selim claimed Trinamool has been allowing RSS to prosper. “During polls, Trinamool made a lot of hue and cry and raised slogans against BJP. But they keep mum at places where there is a need to raise their voices,” he said.