Bengal varsity on the boil after police baton-charge agitators

Burdwan University in West Bengal was on the boil on Tuesday after police baton-charged a group of student agitators who had allegedly vandalised the campus over anomalies in undergraduate results and postponement of exams.

Vice Chancellor Smritikumar Sarkar said the university administration was forced to seek police security after some agitators, pretending to be students, vandalised the campus, about 100 km from Kolkata.

"The way they entered the answer paper section, we were forced to call police. They broke doors... and given their violent demeanour, to ensure safety of staff and prevent property damage, we called police," Sarkar said.

TV grabs showed the agitators, reportedly affiliated to the Students Federation of India, waving flags and trying to climb over the gate. Police were seen chasing them and resorting to baton-charge.

"I don't want to comment. Police decided to do what they thought best according to the situation," said Sarkar.

A student agitator said the university authorities were informed in advance about the 'peaceful' protest and police began a baton-charge without any provocation.

Around 40 SFI members from Jadavpur University here took out a protest rally in their campus on Tuesday evening to condemn the 'attack' on students in Burdwan.

Decrying the police action, Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra termed it "brutal".

"Words fall short2condemn d barbaric brutal Police action on peaceful student protest," Mishra tweeted.

Lashing out at Sarkar, he said the vice chancellor acted like his counterpart at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

"We stand by d just demand of d protesting students!" he said in another tweet.