A confrontation was averted at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University on Monday as police prevented supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and students’ wings of the Left parties from coming face to face.
ABVP supporters took out a procession in protest against the incident on September 19 when Union Minister for State Babul Supriyo was heckled at the University.
The procession of a few hundred ABVP members started from Golpark in south Kolkata but was stopped at Jodhpur Park near the University campus.
Police personnel who were deployed in large numbers since the morning had put up barricades and prevented the ABVP members to march further.
A commotion ensued for some time as ABVP supporters sat on the street. They also indulged in stone pelting and tried to breach the barricades using force.
Protest inside campus
Inside the campus too, students had gathered in large numbers. They carried anti-BJP posters and wore black.
A few teachers of the university were also seen forming a human chain outside gate no. 4 of the University.
‘Use of force’
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee broke her silence on the incident and accused the BJP of forcible entry into the University. “You are all witnessing what is happening at Jadavpur University. They are using force everywhere,” the Chief Minister said while participating in an event in Kolkata.
The State government-run University had on September 19 witnessed a violent standoff between a section of students and Union Minister Babul Supriyo that continued for five hours and had ended at the intervention of Governor Jagdeep Dhankar.
In a related development, fashion designer-turned-BJP member Agnimitra Paul met the Governor on Monday and also lodged a police complaint against a student for making “objectionable” statements against her on social media.