With participation of teachers, non-teaching employees and parents of students the ongoing protests at the Jadavpur University intensified further on Wednesday, four days after the violence inside the campus.
Showing solidarity with the protesting students belonging mainly to the CPI-M-backed SFI and other left-leaning students unions like AIDSO teachers associated with the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA), parents of students and other employees brought out a protest march inside the campus on Wednesday afternoon.
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Prof Amit Roy, father of the injured student, Indranuj, was also part of the march, demanding immediate restoration of normal academic environment and democratic ambience inside the campus. They also demanded holding of students’ union elections in the varsity soon.
“Saturday’s incident was shocking but some people are doing politics with the injury of Indranuj. I am requesting them not to play politics. Our top priority should be how to bring back democratic and normal academic environment in the campus,” Prof Roy said.
Indranuj has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital since 1 March.
The protests erupted following campus violence on 1 March, when two students, including Indranuj and Abhinab were injured, allegedly after the car of the education minister Bratya Basu grazed past them.
Trinamul Congress leader Debangshu Bhattacharya has denied the injuries of Indranuj raising questions on how can it be possible when someone (Indranuj) sustains injuries on his eye only if a big car runs over him? No one can believe it, he claimed.
The agitating students warned of intensified protests if Prof Gupta did not turn up on the campus to meet them within the stipulated time. They claimed that the VC and university authorities had shown no urgency to resolve the crisis.
“Vice-chancellor Bhaskar Gupta has not shown any courtesy or urgency to meet us. We have given a 4-p.m. deadline, after which we will decide the next course of action,” a protesting student said.
The students’ demands include registering a case against education minister, withdrawal of police cases against students and release of those arrested.
Prof Gupta is not coming to office JU after his blood pressure shot up abnormally. He held an online meeting with teachers belonging to both JUTA and Trinamul Congress-backed West Bengal College and University Teachers Association (WBCUPA) on Tuesday to take stock of the situation in the campus.
Today, Prof Gupta was admitted to a private hospital along the EM Bypass because of his abnormally high blood pressure. Earlier, he had a mild cerebral attack, according to sources. Mr Basu visited him at the hospital this evening.
