Kolkata: The strike call and the violence that Jadavpur University has witnessed over the last three days in the middle of a placement season for its engineering students are definitely not good publicity for either the university or Bengal Inc, feels a cross-section of industry and academia.
From top industrialists and business chambers to corporate houses participating in the campus interview, everyone felt that such a situation was avoidable. Bharat Chamber president N G Khaitan said: "This is very unfortunate. It will tarnish the image of Bengal. It will also give a negative impression to companies participating in the campus interview."
Bengal Chamber director general Subhodip Ghosh said the focus should squarely be on the career opportunities for students. Merchant's Chamber of Commerce president Amit Saraogi added that such an incident negates the ongoing efforts to attract investment and build Brand Bengal.
An official of a top corporate house with headquarters in Mumbai felt that such an incident reinforces the negative image of Bengal. A top industrialist pointed out: "Not too much should be read into this one agitation but, it could have done without. Student politics needs a reboot," he added.
On Monday, final-year students from four JU engineering departments — civil, electrical, chemical, and instrumentation and electronics — appeared for campus placement. Sources said Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, an oil PSU, conducted a campus placement on Monday, which was held as per schedule. The first round of placement was held on the campus while the final round was off-campus. A total of 80 students took part in the placement drive, while those from other departments participated in the students' strike. Some of the other companies that are scheduled to participate in campus recruitment include ITD Cementation, L&T, Tata Motors and Tata Consultancy, along with others.
While an overwhelming number of students and parents wanted campuses to be violence-free, many teachers and former students stated that such agitations are self-defeating. JU professor Goutam Maity said: "Such activities create a lot of negativity but a strong administration is required to control these issues." JUTA general secretary Partha Pratim Ray felt it was a deliberate attempt to defame the university.