Kolkata, March 3 (IANS) Situation remained peaceful in colleges and universities across West Bengal on Monday amid a strike call given by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) after two students of Jadavpur University were hospitalised after being allegedly hit by the vehicle of the West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu within the university campus last week.
However, there were also sporadic events of tension and inter-union scuffles reported from various districts of West Bengal,
The Uccha Madhyamik (Higher Secondary) examination conducted by the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, which started on Monday, also went on peacefully as the examination centers have been kept out of the purview of the strike.
On Monday, the SFI activists staged a protest demonstration in front of gate number four of Jadavpur University. However, no tension was reported there also on Monday.
Although classes were not conducted at the arts stream of the university, the scheduled examination for the first year students of the engineering stream was conducted peacefully.
Protest demonstrations by the SFI activists were conducted in front of Calcutta University and Jadavpur University. Tension was reported from Vidyasagar University in the West Midnapore district, following scuffles between the activists of SFI and Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, the students’ wing of Trinamool Congress.
Similar clashes were also reported at Midnapore College and Panskura College in the same district.
The maximum impact of the strike was felt in North Bengal University and the colleges affiliated with it. Sporadic clashes between SFI and TMCP activists were also reported from the area, which led to minor injuries from activists from both sides.
On Saturday, a ruckus broke out after the minister’s car was allegedly stopped after it entered the campus, and a scuffle followed. The students were demanding immediate elections for the university’s students’ council.
The agitating students alleged that while Basu decided to leave the campus in the face of the protests by the students, however, his vehicle deliberately hit the two agitating students following which they were severely injured and had to be hospitalised.
However, amid the protests, the Minister also received minor injuries and fell sick. He was taken to the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College & Hospital and was discharged later.
–IANS
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