JU protests enter 3rd day, students set deadline for VC to address grievances

Kolkata: Protests at Jadavpur University continued for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, with students demanding action against alleged assaults on their peers and set a 4 pm deadline for vice-chancellor Bhaskar Gupta to address their grievances.

The agitating students warned of intensified protests if Gupta did not turn up on the campus to meet them within the stipulated time. They claimed that the VC and university authorities had shown no urgency to resolve the crisis.

"Vice-chancellor Bhaskar Gupta has not shown any courtesy or urgency to meet us. We have given a 4pm deadline, after which we will decide the next course of action," a protesting student from a Left-backed organisation said.

The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) staged protests, while several ultra-left student groups, including the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), called for demonstrations on Wednesday.

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), did not participate in Tuesday’s strike but held separate demonstrations across the state.

The students’ demands include registering a hit-and-run case against education minister Bratya Basu, whose car allegedly hit Indranuj Roy, a student currently undergoing treatment.

They also called for withdrawal of police cases against students and the release of those arrested.

According to the protesters, seven cases have been registered in connection with the incident, including four against Roy.

Additionally, the agitators demanded that the university bear the full cost of medical treatment for the injured students.

The SFI reiterated its demand for Basu’s resignation, accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress’s student wing (TMCP) and the ABVP of instigating violence on campus.

Amit Roy, father of the injured Indranuj, acknowledged Basu’s outreach amid the ongoing turmoil.

He, however, said government action regarding the cases would reveal their true intentions, though the family believes the incident was an accident involving the minister’s car.

Protests erupted following campus violence on March 1, when two students, including Indranuj, were injured after a car in Basu’s convoy allegedly grazed past them during a melee.

The incident occurred as Left-leaning students attempted to prevent the minister from leaving the campus, demanding discussions on the conduct of student union elections which were not held for years.

Basu himself sustained injuries when his car’s windshield was damaged during the protest.