Kolkata: Ahead of Saraswati Puja, protests by students over puja funds and control of arrangements were reported at several prominent colleges in the city, while a late-night clash between 2 student groups at a south-west Kolkata college left multiple students injured, police said.
At a law college in south Kolkata where a rape incident was reported last year, students raised objections after the administration fixed puja budget at Rs 50,000 and issued restrictions on timing and participation. Some students demanded that the puja fund be increased to Rs 70,000. Vice-principal Nayna Chatterji said the demand stemmed from confusion over past allocations.
Chatterji said the administration also clarified operational curbs for the event. "This time we are making it clear to the students that everything has to be completed by 2 pm," she said.
At Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College, some students demanded that the puja fund be handed over to them to spend according to requirements. Some locked an office room for some time, sources said. The administration told students that, in absence of an elected students' union, the fund would be handled by a teacher assigned by the governing body. Principal Sunanda Goenka said only a few students raised the demand, and the college would not deviate from its position.
A clash broke out late Sunday night between 2 student groups at Rabin Mukherjee College, night section of Behala College. They were earlier involved in row over organising Saraswati Puja and a college picnic.