JU teachers, students form human chain to restrict ABVP rally

 Amidst a row over pro-Afzal slogans allegedly raised on the campus, Jadavpur University teachers and students today formed a human chain at the gates to restrict the entry of an ABVP rally.

Alleging that "anti-national" slogans were raised on the campus, ABVP brought out a rally from Golpark to the campus in which BJP leaders Rupa Ganguly, Locket Chatterjee and Netaji kin Chandra Bose were also present.

The rally was stopped near the Jadavpur Police station when some activists broke the barricade and went close to the varsity gates where the students and teachers had gathered.

A scuffle ensued between them and the ABVP activists.
Subir Halder, state secretary of ABVP, claimed a stone was thrown by JU students at one of their activists who is now said to be hospitalised.

"We had no objective of entering the campus. Ours was a peaceful protest against what is happening on the campus. They are raising anti-national slogans and supporting Afzal Guru and Yakub Memon. They are supporting forces which want division of the country," he told PTI.

On Wednesday, pro-Afzal slogans were heard on the campus during a torch rally to condemn the arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar. And yesterday posters were found in the campus demanding "freedom" of Kashmir, Nagaland, and Manipur.

Rupa Ganguly said they won't tolerate any "anti-national" movement in the country.
"Parents send their children to study in the campus but they go and raise anti-India slogans. Protests should be outside the campus," she said.

Jadavpur Registar Pradip Kr Ghosh said students can hold rallies but an outside rally can't be allowed to enter.

"We didn't want any trouble," he said.
Shounak Mukherjee of the students union arts department said they wanted ABVP to stay away from the campus.

During the day students of different departments brought out rallies inside the campus against the ABVP.

One of the teachers, who was part of the human chain, said they were protecting their campus and students from the entry of outsiders.

"Had we not been there, situation might have gone out of control," she said.