Some groups indulge in 'anti-national activities' on Jadavpur University campus: West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh

Kolkata: Alleging that some groups indulge in "anti-national activities" on the Jadavpur University campus, West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh on Friday said such things should not be allowed in an educational institution.

Speaking to reporters, Ghosh said the vice-chancellor of the state-run varsity will have to take responsibility for activities happening on the campus.

"There are some groups that remain active and frequently raise anti-national slogans and engage in such activities. There have also been instances of misbehaviour with the honourable governor," he told reporters.


Ghosh said former minister Babul Supriyo had also been subjected to misbehaviour on the campus.

"Such anti-national and anti-social activities should not be allowed at least within a university. Therefore, these kinds of activities must be stopped," Ghosh said.

He said student politics had historically been marked by tension, and that the police would have to ascertain what transpired during Thursday's violence.

"The vice-chancellor of the university will also have to take responsibility. But there must be peace and order within the university," he said.

A clash broke out between members of the RSS-affiliated ABVP and Left-leaning student groups at Jadavpur University in the early hours of Thursday, with both sides accusing each other of bringing outsiders onto the campus.

Several students were injured in the violence, with some being taken to hospital, while fires were reported at several places on the university's main campus in south Kolkata.

The confrontation stemmed from a meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU) on Wednesday and continued late into the night, a university official said.

Vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya termed the incident "undesirable" and said a committee would be constituted to investigate it. He also said entry of outsiders onto the campus after dusk had been restricted.