Jadavpur University violence: Police begin probe after Calcutta HC order, record statements of injured student, TMC leader

Additionally, SFI leader Srijan Bhattacharya was summoned from Jadavpur Police Station for questioning.

The police lodged an FIR against Basu, and Mishra in connection with the JU violence, after Roy mailed them his complaint on March 2. Roy is currently admitted in a private hospital for treatment and his e-mail has been treated as an FIR after the Calcutta High Court order.

Four police personnel along with the investigation officer of the case and a woman police officer on Saturday went to the hospital and took the statement of Roy. According to sources, the police asked Roy to describe what exactly happened on March 1. “They took written statements as well as video-graphed the statement,” Indranuj’s father said.

Additionally, the police also visited the residence of Jadavpur University professor and TMC leader Omprakash Mishra. “A police team came to my house and asked to describe what happened on March 1. I described them elaborately,” Omprakash said after giving a statement.
Another JU student and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activist Abhinab Basu was allegedly injured by Misra’s car.

Meanwhile, the police also summoned SFI leader Srijan Bhattacharya and asked him to submit the videos he has in connection with the March 1 incident for further investigation.

Srijan reached Jadavpur PS at 6pm Saturday and while speaking with the mediapersons said, “I was summoned two days ago. I have no problem and I came to help with the investigation. But my question is why I was summoned, alone. Why were other TMC leaders not summoned!”

On March 1, the SFI, AIDSO and other Left students’ organisations gathered in front of State Education Minister Bratya Basu’s convoy on the university campus, demanding students’ union elections across the state. During the agitation, some protesting students allegedly vandalised the minister’s car. On the other hand, it was also alleged that the minister’s convoy ran over one protesting student, Indranuj Roy, who was injured and later admitted to a private hospital.

An FIR was lodged against Basu, his driver, and Professor Om Prakash Mishra on Thursday (March 6) in connection with the violence. The FIR was drawn after Calcutta High Court on Wednesday (March 5) directed the State Government to consider the e-mail version of JU student Indranuj Roy as a complaint.

SFI members block Kolkata roads, demand action against Basu

Members of CPI(M)’s frontal organisation, Students Federation of India (SFI), on Saturday evening briefly blocked busy thoroughfares in different parts of the city, alleging that false cases had been slapped against leaders and members of the outfit.

They also demanded legal action be initiated against State Education Minister Bratya Basu and some functionaries of the West Bengal College and University Professors’ Association (WBCUPA) on charges of causing injury to two student protestors on Jadavpur University campus on March 1.

Hundreds of SFI activists blocked the Nager Bazar crossing and Garia Crossing for half an hour, alleging that SFI state leader Srijan Bhattacharya and Kolkata district committee member Abhinab Basu were being framed under fabricated charges of assault in connection with the March 1 protest on campus.

They demanded the dropping of all charges against them and other leaders.

SFI state committee member Subhajit Sarkar told PTI, “Hundreds of union activists took part in a procession from Kamalgazi More to Garia No. 5 bus terminus and briefly blocked a flank of the road.”

“We demand immediate legal action against Basu, who is responsible for causing injury to two student protestors by trying to break through the human chain formed by our activists, who only wanted to have an audience with the minister about the quick holding of student union polls and did not resort to violence. While charges have been framed against Srijan and other left activists, police are sitting over the complaint against Basu and other TMC-WBCUPA leaders,” Sarkar claimed.

The other demands included holding the student union poll at Jadavpur University and other higher educational institutions at the earliest.
The protests disrupted the movement of vehicular traffic for some time, but there was no untoward incident, a senior police official said.

(with PTI)