The Kolkata police have formally requested Jadavpur University to identify suitable locations on campus for the establishment of a permanent police outpost. This move comes in the wake of escalating tensions after West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu was allegedly heckled and students were injured during a protest in the campus on March 1.
If established, this would be West Bengal’s first permanent Kolkata police outpost inside a university campus.
Two days ago, an FIR was registered against Progressive Democratic Students Federation (PDSF), a student body, over graffiti and posters in campus. It was alleged that the posters and graffiti were intended to incite hatred and disrupt public peace. The graffiti and posters featured slogans such as “Azad Kashmir,” “Free Palestine,” and “Fascism Must Burn”, Kolkata police said.
Police added they may summon individuals for questioning.
On March 6, the Calcutta High Court questioned the police over its alleged inability to act during violent clashes between Basu’s convoy and protesting students from Jadavpur University. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had questioned whether the incident was due to an intelligence failure by the police or if intelligence reports were deliberately ignored by the minister. Stressing the need for discipline, he had said, “There must be some discipline by both parties… people cannot be allowed to come so close to [the minister]… I don’t want this to become an example for the rest of West Bengal… election year is coming, this will spread like an epidemic… citizens will lose discipline… I don’t want it to be like the neighbouring country… henceforth if there is any defiance in following intelligence by [ministers] it has to be recorded in writing. No phone calls will do… otherwise, if something happens, all blame will come on the security agencies.”
In addition, police officials, clad in plain cloths, had entered the university campus, specifically the International Relations department, on Monday, triggering strong objections from a segment of the student body. The entry preceded the Kolkata Police’s decision to establish a permanent presence.
The decision to set up a 24-hour police outpost “aims to enhance surveillance and maintain order” within the university premises, according to Lalbazar (Kolkata Police Headquarters). The request has been formalised in a letter sent to the Jadavpur University authorities on Tuesday.
The discussions between university authorities and students have so far failed to resolve the ongoing standoff. A long meeting held last Tuesday did not yield a conclusive outcome, with students submitting a memorandum of their demands.