ABVP rampage leaves Jadavpur University students in fear
ABVP leaders and supporters caused chaos overnight, vandalising several areas on campus.
Supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stormed the Jadavpur University campus twice within a few hours. ABVP leaders and supporters created chaos throughout the night and vandalised several places on the campus.
ABVP leaders described this action as a “surgical strike” and “Ram Navami Puja,” stating that the aim was to “rid the campus of cockroaches.”
According to The Telegraph, a united group of leftist student organisations opposed the ABVP leaders' attempt to enter the campus on Thursday afternoon. They were unable to prevent the attack that occurred shortly after midnight on Wednesday, during which burning cloth balls were thrown at them. During the afternoon attack, ABVP supporters pushed back the police and kicked and pushed the closed main gate of the university from outside. They also threw eggs, shoes, and sticks inside the campus. However, a large number of Jadavpur University students gathered inside the gate and prevented them from entering the campus.
The attackers also damaged the university emblem at the main entrance, designed by Nandalal Bose. The continuous banging on the gate caused the outer ring of the emblem to come off. By the time the university security guards and police dispersed the attackers, some had already climbed the main gate.
Shubhrata Adhikari, a member of the ABVP's central working committee, said,
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned ‘intellectual Naxals’ in his Independence Day address. The work to neutralise those Naxals has started here at Jadavpur University. We have initiated a surgical strike here, similar to the action taken by the Home Minister to eliminate the Maoist threat in Chhattisgarh. By starting the surgical strike, we have commenced the Ram Navami Puja. Through this strike, we will end the dominance of leftism and ultra-leftism.”
The first phase of the attack began around 1 a.m. on Thursday. An ABVP supporter present during the midnight attack later said, “If Jadavpur University students are cockroaches, then we are lizards. We will eat them.” Jadavpur MLA Sarbari Mukherjee also arrived in support of the attackers and described them as the real victims. She threatened to “create chaos throughout the night” in retaliation.
According to the police,
the dispute began with a meeting of leftist students from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, where they were trying to form a student union in a “unilateral” manner. ABVP supporters present on the campus opposed this. A large number of ABVP supporters also arrived from outside to support their fewer numbers on the campus. This led to a clash, and students from leftist organisations took refuge behind a closed gate inside the university's administrative headquarters, Aurobindo Bhavan.
Video footage indicates that at one point, the lock on the gate was on the verge of breaking. A student alleged on Thursday that the attackers wrapped flags and banners, set them on fire, and threw the burning balls and sticks at the students inside. Many believed that MLA Mukherjee's statement worsened the situation. She said outside the Jadavpur police station around 1:30 a.m., “If the police do not make those students surrender, there will be chaos throughout the night.”
When later asked what she meant by her statement, she did not respond. Anushna Das, one of the students trapped inside, said on Facebook Live,
“More than 100 BJP and ABVP supporters chased us. We were running for our lives and had to take refuge in Aurobindo Bhavan. We are still trapped inside the building. They are throwing burning objects at us.”
She said,
“Since we dare to question and demand reform in the country's education system, they are attacking us. We appeal to Gen Z to rise with outrage.”
The police said that the officer in charge of Jadavpur police station tried to contact the Vice-Chancellor and other university officials, but could not reach them. A complaint about the unrest on the campus was received via Dial 100. According to the police, the Pro-Vice Chancellor also contacted Jadavpur police station seeking police assistance on the campus. A police statement said, “Subsequently, a police team entered the campus, removed outsiders, and found that some posters and banners outside Aurobindo Bhavan were torn and burnt.”
Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya condemned the attack on Thursday evening. However, he did not file an FIR. Late on Thursday evening, he announced the formation of an inquiry committee, the formal notification of which will be issued on Friday.
Research scholar Sampriti said,
“A large number of Jadavpur University students participated in the rally protesting the attack at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. That is why ABVP in Bengal is comparing us to cockroaches... We are not afraid of their threats.”