Protest at Calcutta University convocation held by unruly mob: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said that the protest during Calcutta University’s convocation on Tuesday was deliberately held by an “unruly mob” which forced him to return without attending the event. A section of students were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the venue of the convocation.

“Yesterday’s chain of events, which did not happen spontaneously, marred the finest moments in the recent times in the State, when Calcutta University had organized Convocation, bestowing the Nobel laureate Dr Abhijit Banerjee with DLit (honoris causa),” said Dhankhar.

Addressing media persons Dhankhar the Governor also said that the granting of honorary DLit to Nobel laureate economist Abhijt Banerjee was “deliberately allowed to be eclipsed by ugly forces.”

“There have been many reasons why the great moment was deliberately allowed to be eclipsed by the ugly forces, which cannot be called academic or intellectual at all, but to the contrary evil forces of disruption,” said Dhankhar.

He also said that the protest marred the “one hundred sixty three years’ tradition” of Calcutta University by compekling him to leave the venue without awarding the degrees.

“A place which used to attract talent from the rest of the country and the world, today, because of a handful of people is losing its glory and sheen,” said the Governor.

Without directly referring to Jadavpur University the Governor said that what took place during the convocation at Calcutta University had also happened earlier in the state.

“The tragedy is: it did not happen just yesterday. It has been for quite some time. I completely refrain today taking any name, since the same will be as low as it had been pulled to the low level yesterday by handful who held the system hostage ” said Dhankhar.

Describing the protesters as “malicious elements” the Governor asked can they be allowed to hijack educational institutions.

“It is a question of posterity: are we going to give the coming generations academic institutions, which run at the mercy of a few? Can such malicious elements be allowed to hijack the academic institutions as it most painfully happened yesterday?,” said Dhankhar.