After police assault, Jadavpur varsity students demand VC's resignation

Police Wednesday beat up Jadavpur University students after they laid siege to the vice chancellor's office seeking a fresh probe into the alleged sexual harassment of a female student. The students have demanded the VC's resignation.

As many as 35 protestors were arrested with Vice Chancellor Abhijit Chakraborty -- confined in his office along with other top university officials since Tuesday -- saying he was "forced to call the police" while fearing for his life.

He said: "I was forced to call the police. The students were attacking me, and I feared for my life."

"A total of 35 students were arrested under Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (preventive arrest apprehending breach of peace). They were released during the day," deputy commissioner (south suburban division) Santosh Pandey told IANS.

Students claimed they were protesting "peacefully" while demanding an inquiry into the alleged sexual harassment of the student on the campus last month when the police "dragged them out" from the varsity's administrative building -- the Aurobindo Bhawan -- at around 2 a.m.

A student said: "The allegations are false, we didn't trap them inside. He was mediating via the police through the barricade. We asked him to talk to us directly.

"Suddenly at night, the lights inside Aurobindo Bhawan went out and the policemen suddenly attacked us. They picked and dragged us out. Some threw slippers at us and tore our clothes. They pushed a couple of women students into the crowd."

Some students have lodged a complaint against the vice chancellor while demanding his resignation and police officials for alleged manhandling.

"Yes, we did receive a complaint from the students this morning," Pandey confirmed.