Mita Mukherjee
Noisy scenes were seen at Jadavpur University throughout the day on Monday with series of scuffles, clashes and altercations taking place between two groups of students over screening of the consecration of the Ram idol at Ayodhya.
The screening eventually could not be held as the authorities did not grant permission. In one of the incidents, the university pro-VC Amitava Dutta was allegedly punched by some students, said to be supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parichad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS. Sources said Dutta was punched when he tried to intervene in a scuffle between the RSS supporters and the opponent group belonging mostly in Student Federation of India (SFI) , the student wing of the CPM.
A student of engineering department and three security personnel were injured in the incidents, sources in the university said.
The trouble started around 10.30am when a section of students started preparations for the screening but asked by some senior officials of the university not to go ahead as this could trigger disruption on the campus.
The students dispersed from the spot but assembled at another site inside the campus and started chanting Jai Sri Ram slogans hoisting saffron flags. At this point, another section of students mostly from the SFI tried to resist them and started shouting Inquilab Zindabad. A minor clash ensued at this stage.
After the two groups dispersed from the site another round of scuffle erupted near one of the entry gates where some students who according to eye witnesses were demanding the screening had punched the university official.
Later, in the afternoon an altercation followed when some students wanted to distribute prasad but resisted by the opponent group of students.
In the evening, more than 500 students walked from the university to nearby Dhakuria and back to the campus to promote communal harmony.
Partha Pratim Ray, general secretary of Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association said that it was “unfortunate” that the pro-VC was manhandled in this way.