Azad Kashmir graffiti, entry of 'plainclothes policemen' in Jadavpur University trigger row

Kolkata: 'Azad Kashmir' and 'Free Palestine' graffiti were spotted at one place on the Jadavpur University campus triggering a row, while most of the classes and exams were held in the institute as per schedule on Monday.

The alleged entry of ‘plainclothes police personnel’ on the university campus, coinciding with that of a professor linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress, also did not go down well with a section of the students and teachers.

Protests were being held for the past few days at Jadavpur University where two students were injured after the car of state Education Minister Bratya Basu and another accompanying vehicle allegedly grazed past them during a left protest on the campus on March 1.

An FIR has been lodged against Basu, and professor and TMC leader Om Prakash Mishra in connection with the violence.

Graffiti in black proclaiming 'Azad Kashmir' and 'Free Palestine' was seen on a wall near gate number three of the university, but it was not known who or which organisation was behind it.

JU's Trinamool Chhatra Parishad unit president Kishalay Roy told PTI: "Some ultra-Left student outfits are behind this and more such graffiti can be spotted if one goes around the sprawling campus." SFI's JU unit leader Abhinaba Basu said, "We don't support secessionist views though we are against the repression of minorities in BJP-ruled states." He asserted that SFI, the student wing of the CPI(M), has a clear stand on the Palestine issue.

Senior faculty member and functionary of TMC-leaning forum of academics, Om Prakash Mishra, said, "We are against any poster and graffiti which support secessionist views."

When Mishra entered the campus for the first time after the March 1 incident, he was greeted with slogans like “BJP-TMC dictatorship se azadi” and “go back” by a section of Left-leaning students.

In another development, activists of SFI and AIDSO along with leading professor unions - JUTA and ABUTA - claimed that around 30 police personnel in plainclothes entered the campus at around 1 pm on Monday shortly after Mishra arrived and stayed till the afternoon hours when the classes were over.

SFI leader Souryadipto Roy said students got agitated after spotting plainclothes policemen on the campus, shortly after Mishra entered, and chanted slogans demanding the university be freed from intimidation by ruling TMC and the state administration "We refuse to participate in any discussion with the university administration till police personnel leave," he said.

Mishra came to the campus nine days after the March 1 campus protests by Left and ultra-Left students during the AGM of West Bengal College and University Professors Association (WBCUPA).

Mishra was manhandled following the injury of students on March 1.

He, however, claimed to have no knowledge about police presence and said he had not intimated police about his arrival and did not need any security at his "own university" among his students and fraternity. JUTA General Secretary Partha Pratim Roy told PTI: "We don't welcome the presence of police inside the campus, uniformed or in plain dress. We and students had the information about presence of several police personnel in civil dress. As we and several senior teachers took up the issue with university authorities and also persuaded the agitating students not to escalate the issue, the matter did not go out of control.” The students handed over their charter of demands including student union polls and campus safety to university officials.

"We hope classes will fully resume from tomorrow," Roy added.

The All Bengal University Teachers Association (ABUTA) office-bearer and senior JU faculty member Goutam Maity also said there were reports about the presence of police in plain clothes inside the campus during the presence of Mishra “which was unfortunate”.

A senior university official said the police were not called to the campus and the authorities had no information about their presence inside.

"Police have been present outside the campus and keeping vigil since March 1, " he said.