Jadavpur University teachers want police to probe violence on campus on March 1
Telegraph | 5 March 2025
Some Jadavpur University teachers in a meeting with the vice-chancellor on Tuesday proposed that the varsity authorities file an FIR asking police to probe how a student got hit by the education minister’s car on March 1.
Several teachers’ associations held an online meeting with VC Bhaskar Gupta on Tuesday.
The teachers said the university should ask the police to probe under what circumstances the incident, which has triggered unrest on the campus, happened.
“A student had to be admitted to hospital after he was hit by the minister’s car. The university administration must ask the police to probe how it happened. The police must ask the minister’s driver under what circumstances the car hit a student. Did anyone give any instructions while he was at the wheel?” said Gautam Maity, a library and information science professor representing the SUCI-backed All Bengal University Teachers’ Association (ABUTA).
“We can understand whatever happened was unintentional, but it merits an FIR because we must know the truth,” he said.
The secretary of the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association, Parthapratim Roy, said: “We supported the ABUTA proposal.”
VC Gupta, who has not been coming to the campus since March 1 as he has been advised rest, met the teachers’ associations and university officials to take stock of the unrest and decide on a course to resolve the impasse.
Teachers owing allegiance to the Pro-Trinamool WBCUPA (West Bengal College and University Professors Association) said during the meeting that the university must consider that “a minister was attacked and his car was severely damaged” before taking any decision on filing the FIR.
“On March 1, WBCUPA, a registered teachers’ association, held a pre-announced programme. The education minister came to the campus to attend the event as the association’s president. Still, ultra-Left students insisted on a dialogue with the minister at the venue. The minister was willing to talk. Then students proposed that he had to meet at least 40 of them. Thereafter, we saw how a section of students heckled the minister and damaged his car,” said Lakshmi Kanta Ghosh, a member of the association, who teaches in JU’s pharmacy department.
The teachers also proposed an internal inquiry into the alleged arson in the office of the non-teaching employees’ union on March 1.
Some students allegedly vandalised and set the office of the pro-Trinamool non-teaching staff on fire to protest the minister’s car allegedly hitting a first-year student.
In the meeting, it was also proposed that the university write to the state government about the resumption of campus polls.
When this newspaper called VC Gupta, he declined to comment and said he was unwell.
Pro-vice-chancellor Amitabha Gupta said: “We have taken note of what the teachers had to say. The VC will take the appropriate decision.”
Students, who skipped exams and classes on Monday to protest the car allegedly hitting the first-year student, were back in class on Tuesday.
MSc physics exams were held on the third floor of KP Basu Hall on the campus.
A student of the engineering and technology faculty said: “We don’t want to miss out on classes. Otherwise it will be difficult to cover the syllabus. We will, however, not register attendance as a token of protest.”
First-year BTech students did not write their first-semester exams on Monday.
“They will skip their papers on Wednesday as well. A decision will be taken on whether they will appear for their papers after March 5,” a student said.