Agitating students detained for breaking security barrier
Times of India | 20 July 2024
Kolkata: Police on Friday detained a group of students protesting students’ death in Dhaka for breaking through the second barrier during their march to the Bangladeshi deputy high commission on Circus Avenue.
The protest saw over 100 students gather and attempt to march from Nandan to the Bangladesh deputy high commission. Despite their peaceful intentions, the situation escalated when they tried to break through two police barriers, leading to their arrest and transportation in two prison vans.
While being transported to Lalbazar from the protest site, they emphasised that their demonstration was solely focused on the tragedy in Dhaka and not related to the anti-quota protests or the quota system in India.Hiya Banerjee, a JU first-year student, said: “We are protesting the death of the students. It is unfortunate that so many students died and so many were injured during the clash. The state machinery should have exercised restraint.”
Purbita Nag, a master's student at St. Xavier's University, echoed: “Why doesn’t the govt initiate dialogue with the students to restore peace? What is the point of holding an ego against students?”
Prasenjit Haldar, who recently started a job, also joined the protest. “We have nothing to say on the issue. It is their internal matter. But restoring dialogue is the best way to bring about peace. Students tend to be emotionally volatile, but there must be back-channel dialogue to earn their confidence,” he suggested.
Partha Madhu, a final-year master's student at JU, highlighted the underlying issues. “It is always easy to blame students, but there must have been an igniting point. What was the administration doing about the intelligence report?” he questioned.