Open-air class by JU's history department protests ‘police atrocities’ on students
Telegraph | 18 March 2025
A teacher of Jadavpur University’s history department held a class in an open space — near Milanda’s canteen — on Monday as a mark of protest against alleged police atrocities on students.
Classes were held outside Subarna Jayanti Bhavan, which leads to the university’s driveway.
Utsa Ray, an assistant professor of the history department, held a postgraduate first-year class from 10am till 11.45am, which was attended by about 20 students.
“Some of the students approached me and requested that I take the class in an open space as a mark of protest against the police atrocities,” said Ray. “I honoured their wish.”
On March 1, a group of students tried to block education minister Bratya Basu’s car while he was leaving the JU campus after attending a programme of a pro-Trinamool teacher’s association.
One of the students, Indranuj Roy suffered injuries and was admitted to the hospital after he was allegedly hit by the minister’s car. Indranuj was trying to physically prevent the minister’s car from leaving the campus.
Next day, a former student, Mohammed Sahil Ali, now working with a software company, was arrested on charges of arson and vandalism.
Another student, Soumya-deep Mahanta, was arrested last week in connection with the incident.
Ray pointed out that it was not unusual in JU to hold classes in the open as a mark of protest.
“Classes were held in the open space during the Hokkolorob (Let There Be Noise) movement in 2014 when students did not come to classes for months,” said Ray.
Hokkolorob was launched to protest the entry of the police on the campus.
Some of the students said they feared that more students could be arrested.
Priyajit Seth, a postgraduate student who was among those who attended the class, said they had been attending classes at alternative venues ever since the alleged police atrocities on students had been unleashed days after the education minister visited the campus on March 1.
“First a former student and last week a student of the philosophy department was arrested. We requested the teacher to hold a class in an open space as a mark of protest,” said Seth.