Kolkata: Jadavpur University (JU), one of India’s premier institutions, was once again in the news for the wrong reasons.
West Bengal Education minister Bratya Basu was injured in a scuffle with some students on Saturday when he had gone to JU to attend a meeting of the West Bengal College and University Professors Association (WBCUPA).
His car was allegedly stopped after it entered the campus, and a scuffle ensued over the holding of elections in the university to elect student representatives for the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
According to Basu, the students banged on the car and also climbed the bonnet.
In the ruckus that followed, Bratya received minor injuries to his arms and waist.
The minister was taken to the trauma care centre of the state-run SSKM Hospital.
Speaking to the media after receiving medical attention, the minister claimed that the ruckus was “clearly organised” by some ultra-Left backed student organisations.
“They started demanding that I meet a 40-member delegation. I told them that I would meet a four-member delegation and hear them out. That was when the students turned violent. Some professors, who tried to shield me, were also injured,” he said.
The students, however, claimed that they had only wanted to speak to the minister, regarding their legitimate demands. “However, he tried to run us over. Six students were injured when his security personnel manhandled us. They have been taken to a private hospital nearby,” said a student leader.
The ICC deals with sexual harassment charges and other forms of discrimination at workplaces. According to University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, students’ representatives should also be part of the ICC. Normally, such representatives are picked from among those elected to the students’ union.
However, no students’ union election has been held at JU for over five years now. Hence students have been demanding separate polls to elect members for the ICC.
Last year, JU made the headlines after a first-year student died following a fall from the balcony of a boys’ hostel. He was allegedly being ragged when the mishap took place. Some residents of the hostel, including former students of JU, were arrested.
