People from 'dominant party' behind incident at Vishwa Bharati Univesity, says Swapan Dasgupta

In a veiled reference to Trinamool Congress (TMC), BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta, who was allegedly locked inside a room at Vishwa Bharati Univesity in Birbhum for several hours on Wednesday, said there were people who belong to a political party dominant in the region is behind the incident.

"Verbally, I have communicated my concern to various people. They called me including HRD minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, Amit Shah and JP Nadda. Various members of faculty expressed to me in private their concern that certain foreign students by ICCR are actually participating in these kinds of agitation," Dasgupta told reporters here on Thursday.

"According to reports from people standing outside, it seems that apart from students there was a cluster of people with iron rods and bamboos were there. We presume that they may belong to a political party which is dominant in Birbhum was behind this. Once they dispersed, students also dispersed," he said.

On Wednesday, Dasgupta was allegedly locked inside a room at Vishwa Bharati University in Birbhum district, where he was addressing a meeting on the amended Citizenship Act. He could only leave the varsity premises after students affiliated to Left student organisations withdrew their protest.

The BJP MP said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is trying to create hysteria against the amended Citizenship law and added that it will backfire on her.

"The attempt to create hysteria against CAA and to bring an imaginary NRC into the picture has reached ridiculous proportions. Sooner or later, it will backfire on Mamata Banerjee," he said.