tudents of Jadavpur University with other students take out a protest rally from Jadavpur University over the clash between students and the police during West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu
Credit: PTI photo
Kolkata: Amid tensions in Jadavpur University, the CPI(M)-backed SFI planned to hold rallies on Tuesday to press demand for the resignation of state Education Minister Bratya Basu and protest alleged hooliganism by student wings of the TMC and the BJP.
TMC-leaning professors' association also claimed that the recent attack on the minister was planned and will stage a protest this evening.
Members of the West Bengal College and University Professors Association (WBCUPA) held a press conference on Monday over the issue and had announced its protest programme outside the varsity campus.
In the midst of the Left-TMC conflict, the BJP’s student wing ABVP has also joined the fray with a violent clash erupting between its members and SFI activists at the entrance of Jadavpur University on Monday.
In response to all these developments, the SFI is organising protests on Tuesday.
“We will organise protest rallies against the hooliganism of the TMCP (TMC students’ wing) and ABVP. The protests will continue till Bratya Basu resigns,” a SFI leader said.
One student was injured when a car in the convoy of Basu grazed past them during a melee in Jadavpur University on March 1 as Leftist students tried to prevent the minister from leaving the campus, demanding a discussion on the conduct of student union polls.
Basu also sustained injuries as the windshield of his car was damaged by the protesters.
Another student was injured when the car of TMC-affiliated professor Om Prakash Mishra ran over his foot.
Basu and Prakash have denied the charges.
In response to these events, the Left-leaning student organisation SFI called for a strike on Monday in all colleges and universities across the state.
Clashes erupted between activists of various Leftist student bodies and Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) across West Bengal on Monday during a strike called by SFI on university campuses, demanding the resignation of the minister.
The strike affected several educational institutions in Kolkata, including the University of Calcutta and Presidency University.
At the University of Calcutta, the AIDSO (All India Democratic Students' Organization) picketed, and protests were also seen at Presidency University.
Tensions escalated once again in front of one of the gates of Jadavpur University as a clash broke out between the SFI and ABVP groups during their respective processions.
Allegations were made that ABVP supporters tore down posters related to the SFI’s strike.
In the scuffle, a security guard was injured. The police detained five people in connection with the incident.