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Breaking of Jadavpur University's plaque, a conspiracy by ultra-Left, Naxalite elements: ABVP
Breaking of Jadavpur University's plaque, a conspiracy by ultra-Left, Naxalite elements: ABVP
Kolkata, A day after student groups of ABVP and SFI were involved in a clash on Jadavpur University campus, the RSS students' wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, on Friday claimed the breaking of a historic plaque made by Nandalal Bose at the JU gate was a "deliberate act".
Putting the onus on left outfits SFI and RSF, the ABVP alleged it was "orchestrated with the intention of undermining the university's heritage, culture and Indian civilisational ethos.
"The lotus petals depicted on the historic plaque of Jadavpur University represent an important element of India's traditional and cultural heritage. The ultra-left and Naxalite politics have historically displayed hostility towards such symbols. This mindset was used to deliberately create tension and disorder, following which the historic plaque was damaged by exploiting the situation...," the ABVP said in a statement.
The SFI, DSO, however, alleged that the emblem was broken by rampaging ABVP activists as they were trying to scale the closed Jadavpur university gate number 4 on Thursday.
The ABVP alleged that a section of faculty was attempting to malign the organisation as part of a larger political conspiracy by the Left.
ABVP state secretary Neelkantha Bhattacharya said, "This is not an isolated incident. The repeated attempts to bring symbols of Indian culture, heritage and nationalist thought at Jadavpur University into controversy are part of a continuing pattern. This incident must be investigated impartially, and those responsible must be brought to justice."
The ABVP asked how the historic plaque was broken. Who were present at the spot at the time of the incident? Who provoked the people gathered there? And at whose direction was the university's heritage targeted.
"A fair and impartial investigation into all these questions is essential," the RSS student organisation said.
A clash broke out between members of ABVP and Left-leaning student groups at Jadavpur University here early on Thursday, with both sides accusing each other of bringing outsiders into the campus.
Several students were injured in the clash, and some of them were taken to hospital.
The ABVP demanded an immediate and impartial investigation into the breaking of the historic plaque, preservation of the university's CCTV footage and its inclusion in the investigation.
It sought identification of all those involved in the planned vandalism and initiation of appropriate legal action against them.
The ABVP also demanded the security of Jadavpur University's historic structures, plaques and cultural symbols and strict action against everyone responsible for damaging university property and heritage, irrespective of their political affiliation.
The ABVP said that Jadavpur University is not a laboratory for any particular political ideology. It is one of the country's historic educational institutions. Ideological differences may exist, but under no circumstances can they be used as an excuse to attack the university's heritage or cultural symbols, the organisation said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
