Jadavpur University files police complaints after campus clashes injure students
Jadavpur University on Friday lodged police complaints over the violence that broke out on its campus, officials said. The complaints seek an investigation into the incidents and ask authorities to prevent any recurrence.
The first complaint pertains to a crowd entering the campus at midnight, attempting to damage the main gate, setting fire to festoons, and locking some students inside a building. The second complaint relates to individuals scaling the university's Gate No. 4, damaging the historic emblem crafted by painter Nandalal Bose, and pelting stones and water bottles.
The violence erupted early Thursday between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-leaning student groups. Both sides accused each other of bringing outsiders into the campus. Several students were injured and taken to a hospital, while fire was set at multiple locations on the main campus in south Kolkata.
The confrontation began over a meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU) on Wednesday and continued late into the night. On Thursday afternoon, ABVP supporters breached police barricades and reached the locked entrance of Gate No. 4, while Left-leaning students gathered inside the campus to resist the attempted entry. A group of Students' Federation of India (SFI) supporters also clashed with police near the 8B bus stand after attempting to march towards the gate.
The university, a state-run institution, has asked police to investigate the incidents and ensure safety on campus. No official statement from the student groups has been released yet.
