Students hold march, demand JU VC's resignation, probe

Thousands of students on Saturday marched through the streets of the city demanding an impartial probe into the alleged police lathicharge on students of Jadavpur University (JU) along with the resignation of the varsity's vice-chancellor.

Students from Presidency University, Calcutta University and other educational institutions joined those from JU for the march in a show of solidarity.

The march started from the state-run Nandan, the cultural hub of the city, and the students were later scheduled to give a deputation to Governor KN Tripathi, who is also the JU chancellor.

The protesters raised slogans against the police, the varsity's VC Abhijit Chakrabarti and the Trinamool Congress government. The march caused a gridlock in the central business district of the city.

JU students have boycotted classes on their demand for the VC's resignation.

Students had gheraoed the JU VC, registrar and other members of the executive council on the intervening night of September 16 and September 17 demanding a fresh probe panel to investigate the alleged sexual harassment of a girl student inside the campus on August 28.

The VC had said he feared for his life and called the police, who intervened to break the gherao in the early hours of Sept. 17, arresting 35 students. Many of the students alleged they were brutally beaten up by police inside the campus that night.

Asserting that the West Bengal government would not tolerate student indiscipline under any circumstances, state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee had said the impasse at JU could be solved through discussions and negotiations.

The minister has said it was the VC who had sought police help for lifting the gherao and protecting university property.

Refuting allegations of the lathicharge on JU students, Kolkata police commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha had said on September 18 that the situation could have turned worse had police not intervened as there were reports of armed miscreants having entered the campus.