Sougata lashes out at rowdyism on campus
Former minister of state for urban development and a former professor Sougata Roy lashed out at the repeated incidences of atrocities on the principals and teachers in college and universities.
Former minister of state for urban development and a former professor Sougata Roy lashed out at the repeated incidences of atrocities on the principals and teachers in college and universities.
Without naming Trinamool Congress party leader of South 24-Parganas, Arabul Islam, who was accused of assaulting a woman teacher, Roy said he failed to understand how a person who is Class 8 dropout, is also on the managing committee of a college.
“It is quite unfortunate the way campus violence is escalating in Bengal for over the past year and a half. A section of Trinamool Congress leaders are indulging the students to carry out violence at the cost of academic activities.
I still wonder how can a Class 8 dropout be on the managing committee of a college,” said Roy at a public meeting on Saturday.
Although the former minister never mentioned name of any leaders in his speech it is quite obvious that he hinted at former Bhangar MLA Arabul Islam. Recently during a managing committee meeting at Bhangar College, Arabul reportedly threw a jug containing water on teacher Debjani Dey.
Starting from Majdia College, the violence on campus has spread to Raiganj College and Basirhat College. Reports on threatening and manhandling teachers and principals also came from Surendranath College on Ahmerst Street and Jadavpur Vidyapith school in the city where the Trinamool Congress councillor led a group of locals to ransack the principal’s room.
Roy’s statement came at a time when there is a growing concern that the state government is not cracking down on campus violence. Soon after a group of nine Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad supporters had manhandled the principal of Raiganj College, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, “It was just a prank carried out by innocent minds. They can be forgiven.”
Police however arrested the accused and later slapped only bailable charges against them. “A section of Trinamool Congress leaders who are leading student unions on campuses are also influencing the police for not taking action against the accused. If this trend continues, it will be difficult to restore law and order in the state. I feel sorry for the professors and teachers of the state,” said Roy who himself was a physics professor of a reputable South Kolkata college.
This is the first time that a Trinamool Congress leader directly slammed the party for triggering violence on campus.
Earlier on the foundation day of Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad, education minister Bratya Basu had urged the party workers not to trigger violence as it might hamper the images of Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee.
However a day after Basu made the request, a fresh spiral of violence broke out between two groups of Trinamool Congress in front of Amherst Street forcing Surendranath College to shutdown for the next three days.