For the past two days, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has been holding rallies outside Jadavpur University protesting against the death of a first-year student of the university. On Friday, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari visited the residence of the deceased student and spoke to his parents. The BJP leader said that parents should approach Courts for an impartial investigation.
The same day, a scuffle ensued between BJP supporters and the police after the latter removed a stage set up by BJP leadership in front of the university. A few BJP supporters were taken into custody even as BJP cadre held protests outside Jadavpur University. Mr. Adhikari, who had addressed a public meeting outside Jadavpur University on Thursday, took to social media platform X to say that everyone was “rattled by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s agitation, who are determined to weed out the anti-national & anti-social elements from the University Campus”.
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“Mamata Banerjee is in tacit understanding with these so-called “rival” students’ groups (all part of the INDIA group), who enjoy unmonitored and unjustified facilities within the University Campus in exchange for rolling out the “No Vote to BJP” campaign before elections,” Mr. Adhikari said on social media.
The BJP leader also lodged an FIR in connection with an incident on Thursday when violence had erupted after his public meeting. According to Mr. Adhikari, “Unknown miscreants belonged to the Revolutionary Students Federation; an Ultra-Left frontal organization managed to breach security and were shouting slogans & brandishing black flags.”
After Trinamool Congress, the BJP — for the past two days — has been trying to score political points over the death of Jadavpur University student. The Trinamool Congress has also held public meetings outside the university campus. Supporters of the party’s student wing also clashed with those of the Left students’ union of the university on August 16. Like the Trinamool Congress, which does not have any presence in the university students’ union, the BJP and AVBP do not have many takers among the student community of the University.
Investigation continues
The first-year student fell to death from the second floor of the university’s main hostel. There have been allegations of ragging as the trigger behind the death and nine persons have been arrested. Those arrested are five students and four former students of the university. According to the police, all the nine accused were present in the hostel when the student fell to death in the early hours of August 10.
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A team of Kolkata police led by senior police officials brought one of the accused, Saptak Kamila, to the hostel and tried to “recreate the crime”. The police team was led by Deputy Commissioner South Suburban District of Kolkata Police Bidisha Kalita Dasgupta, who is overseeing the investigation in the student’s death.
Meanwhile, the university continued to remain on boil a week after the student’s death. On Friday evening, the students of Jadavpur University organised a road blockade next to Jadavpur Police station. A protest rally was also organised by members of civil society, including teachers of the university.
