The campus of Jadavpur University witnessed a tumultuous episode as clashes unfolded between the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Left-wing student union on Monday. The conflict erupted when ABVP activists clashed with members of the left-wing student union, comprising the Students Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students Federation (DSF), We The Independent (WTI), and All India Students' Association (AISA), following the interruption of ABVP's live screening of the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha event.
Affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ABVP organized a public screening of the consecration ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. However, the left-wing student union opposed the screening, contending that religious activities should not take place within the university premises.
The disagreement escalated into a violent confrontation, disrupting normal activities on the campus. A pro-vice-chancellor of the university was reportedly injured during a scuffle between ABVP members and security guards.
The authorities urged ABVP members to halt the telecast, but they responded by chanting 'Jai Sriram' slogans within the campus, as reported by news agency PTI. Pro Vice Chancellor Amitabha Dutta requested the students to cease the slogans, but ABVP refused, leading to a scuffle. Dutta and a security guard suffered minor injuries in the incident.
In response, the Students Federation of India (SFI), affiliated with the CPI(M), organized a protest rally and conducted a seminar, expressing their opposition to "any attempt to change history and divide society by the fascist regime."
Expressing concern, the All Bengal University Teachers' Association (ABUTA) conveyed their apprehensions in a letter addressed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Education Minister Bratya Basu, and Governor CV Ananda Bose. The letter highlighted concerns about attempts to "hold religious activities on the campus, which violate the secular spirit and have no relation to education and public interest."
