As the violence at West Bengal’s Jadavpur University continues, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) supporters allegedly damaged a university emblem symbolising “knowledge, spiritual growth, and cultural refinement” on Thursday. The vandalism followed a dispute between the ABVP and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) regarding a general body meeting held the previous day.
The ABVP supporters claim that the left supporters attempted to constitute the Union unilaterally. The student wing of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh also claimed that the union was summoned even as there were no official union representatives of the university.
A university student and an SFI member said that the meeting started at around 5 pm and was holding a discussion on the issues faced by the students and ways to resolve them. "Everything was fine until 9 pm, when ABVP and National Student Front students entered the campus and started raising slogans,” the Print quoted the student as saying.
What happened during the clashes?
The ABVP supporters allegedly entered the campus through Gate 4 on Wednesday night and created havoc around the university. They burnt flags and posters of the leftist supporters outside Aurobindo Bhavan, which is the main administrative building in JU. The “goons” targeted the students who had taken shelter on the campus.
The attackers then attempted to break open the main hostel's gate near the Jadavpur police station. They were threatening us, tearing down posters and lighting fires. Around 3 am, some of them even went to the main hostel around the campus and started hitting on the doors with rods and sticks,” a university student alleged.
Violence Escalated Further
On Thursday, the clashes escalated further after the ABVP supporters started a march from the Golpark to Jadavpur University Gate No. 4. Around 2 pm, the members of the RSS student wing reached the premises. However, this time the gates were locked.
The ABVP supporters then started throwing shoes, water bottles and stones at students and faculty present near the university gate.
The police officials alleged that both an ABVP and an SFI rally had broken the barricades near the 8B bus stand. "We have found the CCTV footage and videographed the incident; cases will be filed accordingly.”
What Happened on Thursday Midnight?
ABVP JU unit president Nikhil Das said he was allegedly beaten by left-wing students and has been released from the hospital at around 3 am on Thursday. The security officials at the university campus said that over 100 people reached the university at around 12 am and allegedly tore the posters and graffiti on the walls. Afterwards, they chased some students towards the Aurobindo Bhavan.
“They burnt flags, chanted slogans, and were unwilling to leave the campus unless some personnel were stationed at the university gates as a safety measure. “ A student said that they called us “anti-nationals”.
Calling the violence unfortunate, JU Vice-Chancellor Chiranjeev Bhattacharya said that if required, there will be a round-the-clock police posting inside the campus. While maintaining that the university is not outside the ambit of law, Bhattacharya said that an inquiry will be initiated to ascertain who started the violence.