Arrests: TMC caught on backfoot

“I am scared of the developments at Presidency University. Those who did the mischief,whichever party they showed allegiance to,will definitely be punished. But my contention is: can you prove that those who indulged in this vandalisation were Trinamool people? We have different reports,” Mukherjee said.

Trinamool heavyweight and Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee came down heavily on Presidency Vice-Chancellor Malabika Sarkar,who had said that people with Trinamool flags had entered the campus and attacked students and teachers before ransacking Baker Laboratory. Chatterjee said,“Before intimating the media,the V-C should have lodged an FIR and she should have informed the Governor. The inquiry is still on and so she cannot conclude that TMCCP students from outside entered the premise and ransacked the Baker building.”

Video footage aired by television channels,however,showed TMC councillor Partha Basu,along with two other party activists,leading protests outside the prestigious institution.

Basu denied a hand in the vandalism. “We were protesting the attack on the Chief Minister and Finance Minister. We were near the gate of the university. One of our senior leaders was hurt by a brickbat. We went to the medical college where he received four stitches. I don’t know what happened as we did not go inside the university. I will resign from the councillor’s post if it is found we went inside the university,” he said.

The arrested duo —- Jayanta Hawaldar and Subhojit Burman —- were also reportedly seen at the TMCCP rally that ransacked the Baker lab.

The V-C,who took part in a protest march with students,faculty and alumni of the university during the day,appealed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure an investigation. Around 5 pm,Sarkar met School Education Minister Bratya Basu. Condemning the incident,Bratya Basu said the CM was annoyed with the incident and had demanded arrest of the accused.

The V-C also sent a letter to the governor demanding an independent inquiry. “My term ends in September 2013,and as a V-C I feel I have done my duty by intimating the matter to the governor. I am not afraid of the consequences I will face after this issue,” she said.

Governor M K Narayanan also condemned the incident. “Those who ransacked should be treated like criminals,” he told reporters here.

The state human rights commission will also conduct a probe,for which they have sought the help of former principal of Presidency Amol Mukherjee. Senior officials of the university said that the TMCCP wanted to gain a foothold in the varsity. A delegation from TMCCP had met the V-C two months back seeking to set up of a unit,but the V-C rejected their proposal,the officials said.

— WITH PTI INPUTS