Police outside colleges in Kolkata. (Express File Photo)
CHIEF Minister Mamata Banerjee paid a surprise visit to Calcutta University on July 6; Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar have been doing the rounds of educational institutions; while West Bengal Higher Education Department has changed admission procedures, amidst a growing controversy over a racket fleecing students seeking to make it to West Bengal colleges, that has so far seen six arrests.
Police estimate this to be just the tip of the iceberg, saying student leaders, including those affiliated to political parties, have been charging Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh promising admissions.
West Bengal colleges, across universities, started admissions on June 22. On July 3, the Kolkata Police directed all college authorities to ban the entry of student union members and leaders at the time of admission. It has also posted men in uniform at around 20 government colleges in the city, set up a special team to investigate, and said complaints could be directed to a special number or made over WhatsApp.
The Higher Education Department has also asked college authorities to admit students on merit and go for verification and counselling only after classes start. This is to prevent students from being targeted while they are waiting after applying, when they are approached with promises to facilitate admission.
While seeking money from students for admission in Bengal colleges is a well-kept secret, unions earlier interfered only in a handful of cases, and often at the request of political bosses. However, this time, the fleecing is believed to be widespread.
On July 2, Titan Saha, the former general secretary of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, the students’ wing of the TMC, was arrested for demanding money from students for admission in graduate classes. A student of PG Diploma at Calcutta University, Saha’s social media profile has photographs of him with ruling party ministers and leaders.
On July 3, Sheikh Jasimuddin, 20, a second-year student of Surrendra Nath College, was detained while allegedly accepting Rs 30,000 from a student to facilitate admission to Zoology (Hons). Sources claimed he too was associated with the TMCP, and is a member of the Surendranath College union.
On July 6, Ritesh Jaiswal, 23, and Lal Saheb Gupta, 25, both members of the TMCP, were arrested. Jaiswal is a student of Maharaja Shirish Chandra College, while Gupta graduated from there in 2013 and was president of its college union.
Besides these four arrests from Kolkata, two people were arrested in Chandannagar (earlier Chandernagore) on July 4 for allegedly seeking money for admission in Uttarpara Raja Peary Mohan College. The BJP has denied any link of the ABVP to them.
The police are silent on the political affiliations of the arrests, though off the record they admit the same. A senior officer said, “We have also seized marksheets and other documents of students from those arrested… We believe a section of the college officials are hand in glove with the student unions.”
Education Minister Chatterjee said, “Our CM has personally visited colleges. She has made it clear merit is the last word for admission. We have given a strong message. Whoever is found guilty will not be spared. Our party will have no relations with those arrested… Everything possible is being done to ensure that students get admitted according to merit.”
The BJP and CPM student wing SFI have taken out rallies in Kolkata and other districts accusing TMC student leaders of being behind the racket. “She (Mamata Banerjee) cannot control this… Those handful who have been arrested will never be punished and the bigwigs will never get arrested,” said Sayantan Basu, BJP state secretary.
SFI state president Srijan Bhattacharya said, “Steps which have been taken are just an eyewash.”
Basab Chaudhuri, vice-chancellor of West Bengal State University, said the government alone wasn’t to blame. “What about parents who are trying to get their wards admitted through illegal ways?”
Soma Bandopadhyay, vice-chancellor of West Bengal University of Teachers Training, Education, Planning and Administration, said, “We have more than 400 colleges under us. Barring a few, we have centralised online admission process and therefore we have received no complaints.”
Among those who met Mamata to complain was Swapna Chatterjee, from Baruipur, whose husband works as a security guard earning Rs 7,000 per month. “My daughter got over 50 per cent marks and we are trying to admit her in ‘pass’ subjects. We went to Baghajatin College and Vidyasagar College. At Vidayasagar College, union boys approached us and told us to pay Rs 10,000. At Baghajatin College, union boys told us all seats are filled up, and then asked for Rs 15,000. I said I can give only Rs 5,000, and they took my daughter’s original documents. Next day we went back but they did not budge from Rs 15,000. So I took my papers back.”
She landed up at the CM’s house after making the rounds of colleges for a week. “My girl will lose a year and I don’t know whether she can study further,” said Chatterjee.