123 Kolkata: Tension flared again on JU campus on Monday when Om Prakash Mishra, a senior professor of International Relations dept, entered the varsity. Woman students, primarily affiliated with a Left-leaning student body, blocked Mishra while holding placards at the gate of his room. It lasted for over two hours at the IR dept.
Before Mishra reached the campus, some students locked his office, which was opened by the campus's security staff as he tried to enter his room. Police personnel, including woman officers, entered the campus to ensure his protection and were deployed at his room. They entered the campus in casual dress.
This led to a fresh controversy as students started protesting, referring to the last cop entry to the campus in 2014 ahead of the ‘Hok Kolorob' movement. Mishra claimed he did not call the police and university authorities also denied their involvement in calling the officers.
Mishra said, "I informed interim VC on Sunday that I would come to campus. Today, some students stopped me from entering my room, but I have an important discussion with research scholars. Some woman students started an agitation, and I appealed with folded hands to them to leave the place. I did not call the police."
Eshna Sen, a second-year student of the dept, said, "He harassed woman students on March 1. He repeated the same thing today." Mishra denied all allegations. Pro-VC Amitava Datta said they did not call the police.
Stay updated with the latest city news, weather, and Air Quality Index (AQI) updates for major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, and Bengaluru on Times of India.