Bengal: ABVP, Left student wings clash at Jadavpur University; gate logo damaged
Jadavpur University’s emblem was damaged as ABVP and Left student groups clashed amid rallies and protests at the Kolkata campus.
On Thursday, a wooden emblem on a gate at Jadavpur University in Kolkata sustained damage when members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) allegedly attempted to enter the campus following a previous night's clash with supporters of Left student unions, according to university professors. ABVP supporters had taken to Gariahat Road earlier in the day and made attempts to reach the campus, while Left student union members had gathered at the 8B bus stand.
The emblem's outer ring, featuring lotus petals, detached when external forces applied pressure to it, reported an anonymous university professor. The Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) president, Partha Pratim Roy, called for an emergency meeting and demanded immediate police complaint filing by JU authorities. The acting registrar, Selim Box Mandal, requested the gathering of all facts before filing a police complaint.
Both ABVP and Left party supporters accused each other of burning party flags, banners, and campus property throughout the night of Wednesday and Thursday. ABVP alleged that two of its members, Nikhil Das and Diptiman Kar, were assaulted on Wednesday night due to their stance that no union has the right to hold a general body meeting in JU.
The Students' Federation of India (SFI), representing the student wing of the CPI(M), accused ABVP members of bringing outsiders to instigate the violence. Meanwhile, the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) echoed similar allegations. No arrests had been made as of Thursday night, with police intervention limited to guarding the campus perimeter after multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact the Jadavpur police station.
Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya clarified that ABVP is not a part of his party, asserting that ABVP is a separate entity. Some BJP leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Rahul Sinha and BJP's Jadavpur MLA Sarbori Mukherjee, supported ABVP and labeled JU as a "den of Naxalites."
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