Kolkata, March 3 -- A strike called by the Leftist students' bodies triggered chaos across Bengal and inconvenienced the Higher Secondary examinees on Monday.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) slammed the Left bodies for calling the strike on the day of HS. Classes were disrupted in several state-run higher educational institutions in districts due to the strike.
Activists from various Leftist student bodies and TMCP engaged in clashes across the state during the strike called by CPI(M)'s student wing SFI on university campuses in the state. Campuses of Jadavpur and Presidency universities wore a deserted look as common students, faculty members and other staffers stayed away while SFI members gathered on the campuses to enforce the day-long strike that began at 10 am. Clashes were reported from Vidyasagar University and Medinipur College, Panskura Banamali College in Purba Medinipur and North Bengal University in Siliguri as the TMCP activists tried to prevent the Leftist students from enforcing the strike and suspension of classes.
Activists of SFI, AIDSO, AISA and RSF staged demonstrations on the Jadavpur University campus, raising slogans and beating drums. They also locked the doors of many departments to enforce the strike. Exams for first-semester undergraduate engineering students at Jadavpur University (JU) were scheduled for Monday but did not take place as students refrained from appearing amid a strike called by the SFI and the All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO).
Meanwhile, WBCUPA, affiliated with the TMC, has announced a protest rally on Tuesday. Leftist student bodies called a strike in the state demanding the resignation of Education minister Bratya Basu. WBCUPA leaders during a press conference condemned Saturday's violence at JU. They recounted their ordeal when left and ultra-left student unions disrupted their general body meeting, assaulted teachers, including female members and vandalised Bratya Basu's car, harassing the minister himself. To protest the incident, TMC-affiliated teachers wore black badges during demonstrations across colleges and universities in the state on Monday. WBCUPA vice-president Selim Box Mandal announced that a protest march would take place from Jadavpur 8-B to Jadavpur Police Station at 5 pm on Tuesday, with all organisations under the TMC Shiksha Cell participating. Mandal further alleged that the violence was "pre-planned" and questioned why no medical proof had emerged showing that Indranuj Ray, the student allegedly run over by the minister's car, had suffered such an injury. WBCUPA also criticised Indranuj Ray's past social media comments following the death of former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Since morning, students picketed at JU's Gate No. 4, which was shut down by protestors. The ultra-left student union at JU has announced a 'pen-down' protest on Tuesday and Wednesday.
TMC's Arup Chakraborty said: "In the name of student organisations, the Left-wing organisations called strike on the day of HS. It could have been done on the non-exam day. It was just an attempt to catch fish in troubled water."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.