ABVP-SFI clash, police barricades shattered as fresh tension grips area

Kolkata/IBNS-CMEDIA: Supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) clashed in the Jadavpur area, escalating tensions that gripped Jadavpur University on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

 

Tension escalates in Jadavpur

Fresh tension gripped the area after a group of people stormed into the university campus following the last night dispute over a general body meeting.

Chaos erupted as ABVP supporters, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), allegedly broke through police barricades near Jadavpur Police Station and marched towards the locked Gate No. 4 of Jadavpur University.

The situation escalated when SFI students attempted to resist the ABVP supporters’ entry into the campus.

Protest march adds to chaos

A separate confrontation broke out near the Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand, where an SFI protest march reportedly clashed with police, resulting in chaos in the area.

CPI(M) leader Dipsita Dhar accused the police of bias towards ABVP supporters.

“They were allowed to march forward while we were lathicharged,” Dhar alleged.

Dhar, the former SFI All-India Joint Secretary, reminded police of the transience of power saying, “Mamata Banerjee had also thought she would rule forever and look where her party is now.

“Remember BJP will not last forever. The days are not far when the same cops who have assaulted our supporters would have to salute them.”

What happened?

The confrontation reportedly began after Left student unions called a general body meeting on the campus.

The ABVP, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accused Left groups, including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Students Organisation (DSO)-Democratic Students Federation (DSF), of orchestrating an attack on its members.

The Left student unions, however, alleged that the ABVP had brought outsiders into the campus and resorted to vandalism.

Some unverified videos showed a group of people attempting to break open a locked facility, while other clips purportedly captured Leftist flags being vandalised.

Both sides reportedly suffered injuries in the clash, following which local police rushed to the campus to bring the situation under control.

BJP MLA visits injured students

Sarbori Mukherjee, the first-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Jadavpur, visited a local hospital to check on the injured students.

Defending the ABVP members, Mukherjee criticised the Left student groups for calling a general meeting, claiming that the university had agreed to have no students’ body.

Targeting SFI Joint Secretary Srijan Bhattacharya, who contested the Jadavpur seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mukherjee said, “The university had agreed to have no students’ body. I am asking Srijan Bhattacharya, how could the general meeting be called? Who called it?”

‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ slogans

Some visuals carried by the media showed a group of men entering the campus while raising ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ slogans.

Some of them were also seen allegedly attempting to remove flags belonging to Left student organisations from various parts of the campus.

The group was also heard raising slogans warning against alleged anti-India activities.

In one video, a group of men were seen burning a flag as they tried to break a locked gate and barge at Aurobindo Bhavan.

SFI denies involvement

Responding to Mukherjee’s allegations, Srijan Bhattacharya denied SFI’s involvement in the incident and said the dispute was between students who had called the meeting.

Bhattacharya alleged that BJP workers stormed into the campus following the dispute and engaged in vandalism.

“The activity of the local BJP MLA is laughable… I challenge them to announce students’ body elections, let ABVP win democratically. What’s the point in resorting to vandalism at midnight,” the CPI (M) leader said in a video message.