Four days after a first-year student at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University died on campus, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that Marxists were responsible for the incident, The Hindu reported.
The student, Swapnadip Kundu, fell off the balcony of a hostel building at the university on the night of August 9. He was taken to a hospital, but died in the early hours of August 10.
Kundu’s family members alleged that he had been subjected to ragging by his seniors. The police have arrested three persons in the case – an ex-student at the university named Sourabh Chowdhury and second-year students Deepshekhar Dutta and Manotosh Ghosh, according to NDTV.
On Monday, Banerjee mentioned a telephone conversation with Kundu’s father, and said that he had asked her to ensure justice. “Who are these people [involved in the incident]?” she asked at a public meeting. “They are Marxists. Now they have been allying with the Bharatiya Janata Party, earlier they were working with the Congress.”
The Trinamool Congress chief alleged that a group of Marxists had blocked the installation of close-circuit television cameras on campus.
The employees’ association of the university held a protest inside the university premises on Monday. The protest, which was backed by the Trinamool Congress, reportedly targeted the university’s student union in connection with the death, according to The Hindu.
Left-leaning bodies have controlled the student union at Jadavpur University for several years. The union had reportedly opposed installing CCTV cameras inside the campus.
Meanwhile, the Student Federation of India – the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) – also held a protest in connection with Kundu’s death. Party leader Sujan Chakraborty blamed the Trinamool Congress for not acting against ragging and questioned why the university did not have a full-time vice chancellor.
On June 1, Amitabha Datta was appointed as the interim vice chancellor at Jadavpur University. However, he resigned earlier this month on the request of Governor CV Ananda Bose due to complaints by some teachers, The Telegraph reported.
The University Grants Commission has asked the university to submit a report on Kundu’s death. A team from the commission is likely to visit the university on Wednesday.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!