An injured first-year student Indranuj Roy lying in front of a minister’s SUV bearing down on the student is going viral.
KOLKATA: A demand to hold student union elections in West Bengal’s colleges and universities has snowballed into a controversy with a criminal case lodged against Education Minister Bratya Basu under sections relating to attempt to murder, outraging of modesty, criminal intimidation by threatening to cause death and shared intention (in committing a crime) and joint criminal liability.
Last Saturday, Basu visited the city’s iconic Jadavpur University to chair a meeting of the pro-Trinamool WBCUPA (West Bengal College and University Professors Association), of which the Minister is the president, on saffronisation of education.
As the Minister came out of the auditorium after the programme, students belonging to Left and ultra-Left organisations gheraoed the Minister’s vehicle. They demanded that students’ union polls, which had not been held in the past five years, be held immediately. As the Minister’s car tried to make its way out, two students sustained injuries even as the windshield of the Minister’s SUV was broken in the melee.
Despite visuals of an injured first-year student Indranuj Roy lying in front of the Minister’s SUV bearing down on the student going viral, the Trinamool eco-system called it a concocted story and alleged that the students had beaten up professors and tried to assault Minister Basu. Indranuj Roy, 22, sustained injuries near his left eye and needed 14 stitches to stop the flow of blood.
Incensed by the “challenge from students”, Trinamool Congress leaders, including a few Ministers, publicly issued threats to the students of the university saying that supporters of the ruling party can also lose patience.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Power Minister Aroop Biswas, rushed to the university at the head of a 2000-strong procession and threatened “to occupy” the State University in “a minute”.
Another senior Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra warned: “The entire party is looking at Mamata Banerjee and showing restraint. Aroop Biswas has said one minute. I will say 30 seconds will be more than enough to teach them a lesson.”
Not to be outdone, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said that 2000 party members or a 1000 police contingent “would be enough to free Jadavpur University from the clutches of the students.”
While the students demanded justice, the police filed seven FIRs, including two suo motu ones, against the students. On the other hand, when Indranuj Roy wanted to file a complaint against the Minister, his driver and some other University teachers, the police refused to file an FIR.