Students Continue Their Agitation a Day After Jadavpur University V-C Claimed He was heckled by Them

Kolkata: West bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee on Wednesday visited Jadavpur University Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das in Kolkata’s AMRI hospital, where he was admitted a day before after allegedly being heckled and manhandled by a section of students agitating over the issue of holding students union elections in the varsity.

Das is reported to have suffered injuries on his right shoulder, hip bone and chest. The hospital authorities said that Das’s X-ray had been conducted and his condition is stable. He has a history of hypertension and high blood sugar and is undergoing necessary medication.

The vice-chancellor, in his the hospital admission form, had alleged that he was heckled by students. He, however, did not file any police complaint.

The students wanted Das to submit a memorandum on holding immediate student union elections in in the executive council meeting, but the latter turned down the demand. When Das stepped out of the meeting and got into his car, the students allegedly blocked his vehicle from leaving the portico.

At the same time, another group of students was protesting on another issue -- asking the contents of a molestation probe be made public. Both the groups got into a scuffle, which prompted Das to step out of his car and pacify the youngsters. However, Das got caught in the scuffle and was rescued by teachers and varsity staff and taken inside Aurobindo Bhavan, the administrative headquarters were the incident occurred. He complained of uneasiness after which an ambulance was called and he was rushed to AMRI hospital in Dhakuria.

”I will tell the students to stay away from agitations. I don’t support this (behaviour). They can speak to the authorities and can always reach out to me.” The state government has still not issued a notification on the elections. Jadavpur University authorities say they cannot announce a poll schedule without getting a notification from the state. The students, on the other hand, continue their agitation and carried out a rally from the university to Gol Park on Wednesday.