Kolkata: A stalemate prevailed today in Jadavpur University as the students hardened their stand against the vice-chancellor vowing not to attend classes till he resigns, a day after 35 students were arrested for gheraoing him.
Holding him responsible for allowing the police to act inside the university campus, student leaders said they would boycott classes for an indefinite period till Abhijit Chakrabarti steps down from his post.
“Ours was a complete peaceful protest, but the VC called the police inside the campus. We are beaten up, girls were molested and many of us were arrested. So we cannot accept him as the VC anymore,” the students who brought out a rally in the campus said.
No classes were held today in JU while classes were affected in most colleges after the CPI(M)'s students wing SFI called a strike over the incident.
Kolkata police, however, rejected all allegations of baton charge on students.
“There were policemen in civil dress and none of them had any lathis or weapons,” Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha said, adding that the situation could have turned worse had the police not intervened as there were reports of armed miscreants entering the campus.
Education Minister Partho Chatterjee appealed to students to withdraw their class boycott call and return to studies. “On that day if the real students were 40, then 300 were outsiders. If there is any wrongdoing we will definitely see but gherao cannot be supported. We will not accept it and this is not in accordance with student discipline,” he said.
