Jadavpur University still tense, CM Suvendu Adhikari says probe ‘anti-national’ graffiti on campus

“Educational Institutions are sacred spaces of learning, academic excellence and nation-building. Under no circumstances will campus premises be permitted to be used as platforms for spreading deranged propaganda and Anti-India sentiment,” the chief minister wrote and asked the university and Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department to initiate an “immediate inquiry by conducting an on-ground physical verification of the Arts Division Boys Hostel area to identify the individuals involved”.

“The West Bengal Government strictly follows a zero-tolerance policy towards anti-national activities, especially on campuses of educational institutions… West Bengal’s educational institutions must remain centers of merit and discipline, not grounds for divisive rhetoric and unsocial activities,” the chief minister added.

Hours before that, at a press conference, the chief minister said “there was no problem” at JU. Days after the university witnesses clashed between ABVP, the RSS’ students’ wing, and the CPI(M)’s SFI, the chief minister said, “Normal classes have been held at Jadavpur University. There is no problem there.”

He, however, added that “things like Red Salute to (Maoist leader) Kishenji will not be allowed on the campus” and announced that he would visit the campus next Friday and sing “Vande Mataram” there.

Mamata slams BJP

Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress chief and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee had hit out at the ruling BJP, accusing it of orchestrating the unrest on JU campus. “The BJP created mayhem at Jadavpur University. The JU emblem was trampled and destroyed. The university is among the toppers in national and international rankings. Even though I may have differences of opinion with Jadavpur students, I respect them,” she said through Facebook Live.

V-C meet: No headway

Meanwhile, a marathon six-hour-long meeting called by vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee ended in a stalemate, with students claiming that their demands were not met.

“We were speaking to the vice-chancellor. He listened to us only halfway and suddenly wanted to leave. We tried to stop him because our demands have still not been fully addressed,” a SFI member said after the meeting that stretched till 9 pm.

Ahead of the meeting, the vice-chancellor said there was a delay in lodging a police complaint over the arson on the campus in the early hours of August 20 since he could not reach the campus immediately after the unrest.

Bhattacharjee told mediapersons that the university authorities filed the police complaint on August 21, leading to registration of multiple FIRs, and will submit all evidence and CCTV footage to the police for investigation.

“We will reconstitute the committee again today,” he said, referring to the university’s internal committee to probe last Thursday’s incident.

A general meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (FETSU) led to the clash between members of the RSS-affiliated ABVP and Left-leaning student groups at the University here early on Thursday, leaving several students injured. Both sides accused each other of bringing outsiders into the campus.

Campus turns into a fortress

Five days after the clash, the university turned into a fortress on Monday as both the rival SFI and the ABVP took out separate marches. The university gates were locked from inside by the administration to prevent any untoward incident. There were three layers of security outside the university gate, with RAF and police forming the outermost layers, followed by barricades and women police personnel.

The ABVP’s march, called “Save Jadavpur, Save Education”, started from Golpark and concluded at 8B bus stand in Jadavpur. On the other hand, SFI’s protest march began from Sealdah and concluded on College Street in central Kolkata.

RSS general secretary of Bengal unit, Jisnu Basu, who took part in the ABVP march, raised questions over the leakage of CCTV footage of Thursday’s campus violence. “How did the CCTV footage get leaked and become public? It was supposed to be given to the police, but how was it leaked?”

Meanwhile, the SFI questioned the police’s “inaction”, asking why no arrests have been made so far. “Why is it taking so much time for the police to investigate the BJP politicians’ role? Instead, we are seeing that the leader has been made the head of the governing body of two colleges,” a SFI member said.

According to sources in the university, the police had told the JU registrar that they would collect footage from around 60 CCTV cameras to know what happened on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

According to sources in Kolkata Police, the CCTV footage is important for two main reasons – to identify those directly involved in the clash and to verify whether there was any presence or role of anyone other than the university students.

JU V-C trip, no serious injury

Kolkata: Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee on Monday night fell while leaving the campus after attending the all-stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the recent campus clash. According to those present at the spot, Bhattacharjee lost his balance and fell. He was later seen limping.

“He was taken to a hospital for medical attention. He is in stable condition. The sudden ailment was caused by tremendous work pressure and fatigue,” PTI quoted an official.

Security personnel claimed that the V-C was pushed and jostled by students after the meeting. The students rejected the charge, claiming that the vice-chancellor was “doing drama”. “The CCTV footage should be examined since his security personnel were pushing students, “ a student said. —ENS