WB: SFI calls for strike in colleges on Monday; demands resignation of education minister

KOLKATA: CPI(M)'s student wing SFI on Sunday called for a strike in universities and colleges across West Bengal on March 3 to demand the resignation of Education minister Bratya Basu "holding him responsible" for the injury caused to two protestors when his convoy was leaving Jadavpur university campus after students gheraoed him demanding immediate announcement of campus elections.

Students Federation of India (SFI) state committee member Shuvajit Sarkar told PTI on Sunday the strike call has been given in university and college campuses in protest against the "entry of outsiders sheltered by TMC who instigated the violence and vandalism in the Jadavpur university campus on March 1."

"As the students only wanted to have a discussion with the education minister in the presence of vice-chancellor, he behaved in a high-handed manner with them and tried to leave the campus in a huff on Saturday. As the students wanted an audience, Basu accompanied by TMC musclemen and outsiders boarded the car and his driver accelerated the vehicle unconcerned about the safety and life of students.

His car injured two students, one of them seriously, and he did not bother to look back but sped away," Sarkar said.

Resignation of education minister

"Basu is responsible for the injury to two students and we demand his resignation from the state cabinet and police action against him for fuelling fire in Jadavpur university campus," he said. The SFI, however, will extend its help for the smooth conduct of the higher secondary examination, which is slated to begin from March 3, and organise camps near examination centres to help the candidates, he said.

The SFI also took out rallies in the city and elsewhere in the state on Sunday in protest against the "injury to left student protesters by the car of the Education minister who did not bother to listen to the students and brought outsiders inside the campus." The left student activists took out a rally in the city from 8B bus stand, Jadavpur to Golpark and vowed to continue their protest. In Bardhaman town, Dinhata in Coochbehar district, the SFI activists had heated arguments with police who objected to road blockades.

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Jadavpur University campus rampage

The arson and rampage at JU took place after two students were injured, one of them seriously, as tyres of one of the cars in the minister's convoy grazed past them. Trouble broke out when Basu went to the JU campus on Saturday to attend the annual general meeting of WBCUPA. Basu, who tried speaking to the agitating students and received memorandum from one group, was gheraoed by a large number of protesters and his security personnel had a trying time to escort him to his vehicle.

Basu was later taken to SSKM Hospital as he felt uneasiness during the gherao and suffered bruises from broken glass shards but his condition was stated to be stable and he later went home. Indranuj Roy, a first year student stated to be a member of ultra left Revolutionary Students Front (RSF) and Abhinaba Basu, SFI Kolkata district committee member, fell on the ground as the convoy of the minister was trying to leave the campus with protesters seen hanging from the side of the cars trying to stop Basu from leaving.

"There was so much chaos around. The students had broken the windscreen of my car and the broken glasses left me injured. How can I talk to around 100 students? I was ready to speak to some of their representatives numbering five. But they did not want talks, they only wanted to create chaos," Basu told reporters. He said in the melee he could not notice if someone from behind fell on the ground as his car left.