A plaque bearing the name of Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee at Kolkata’s Presidency University was vandalised on Monday, the Hindustan Times reported. Mookerjee’s name was inscribed on it along with those of the university’s prominent alumni.
“We are upset,” the varsity’s Vice Chancellor Anuradha Lohia said. “It is a shame. No student and, in fact, no educated person can indulge in such acts. We will deal with it sternly and try to see to it that appropriate punishment is meted out to the guilty.”
The university administration called the police after they noticed that the plaque was vandalised, India Today reported. Soon after that Kolkata Police’s deputy commissioner for the central region and other top officials visited the university and met the administration. A five-member committee will investigate the incident.
Earlier this month, the Kolkata Police had arrested seven far-Left activists from Jadavpur University for damaging and defacing a bust of Syama Prasad Mookerjee in South Kolkata’s Kalighat locality. They were protesting against the razing of communist icon Vladimir Lenin’s statue in Tripura after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the Assembly elections. Another statue of Mookerjee was found damaged in Assam’s Kokrajhar on March 14.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!