– Mita Mukherjee

Within days of BJP taking office in Bengal, the RSS on Tuesday opened a shakha (branch) at the state-aided Jadavpur University where students unions have always been dominated by Left and far-Left leaning organisations.

A group of university staff including permanent and contractual, all of whom reside on the campus assembled at the foot-ball ground on the campus at around 6.30 am and performed drill and took an oath to mark the opening of the new shakha of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The group comprising 25 odd members vowed to uproot the ” Naxalite elements” from the campus.

The one-hour long morning assembly started with physical exercise and yoga followed by the Buddhik (intellectual) session when patriotic and other songs were sung to worship the motherland.

“Jadavpur was known all over the country for its academic excellence. But over the years it started losing it’s glory because the campus became a hub of Naxalite and Maoist activists. We have taken a vow to uproot these elements,” Palas Maji, a senior laboratory attendant in the physics department of the university told EducationWorld.

The shakha plans to hold similar hour-long sessions every morning. ” We will welcome all who wish to join us. But we will allow only campus residents and our staff who reside close to our campus. But no outsiders will be allowed. We have started with physical exercise, yoga and chanting of songs, worshipping our motherland. But gradually we will start physical drill including dand Prayag (lathi khela), which is a part of regular RSS training to teach bravery and discipline to volunteers,” said Maji, who is a RSS ” karyakarta” (volunteer).

“Ours is the first institution in Bengal where the RSS has started a shakha,” he said.

According to him Jadavpur University had been founded with the spirit of nationalism under the guidance of Rishi Aurobindo.

“The institution has turned into a hub of people who would not hesitate to shout anti- national slogans every now and then. This cannot be allowed. We need to end this,” Maji said.

Addressing an election rally before the second phase of the Bengal Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that Jadavpur University once known for its academic excellence has now become a hub of “anti-national slogans.”

A number of controversial slogans such as “Azad Kashmir” and “Stop Operation Kagar” — referring to the Centre’s operations to eradicate Maoist-Naxals insurgency along the Chhatisgarh-Telangana border had earlier appeared on the campus walls. The university had been criticised by right-wing groups over the kind of graffiti and slogans used during different protests.

Students groups belonging to the Left lobbies strongly criticised the move saying this was an attempt of the BJP to establish its control at the prestigious institution.

Also read: NEET paper leak: CBI detains man arrested by Nashik Police; Latur parent files complaint