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Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) ended their protest after failing to enter the Jadavpur University campus in protest of the fiasco that took place in the university campus on Thursday, 19 September, involving Union Minister Babul Supriyo.
The Left-inclined university students, on the other hand, had also organised a counter-demonstration at the campus.
The heavy police deployment along the Golpark to Jadavpur University campus route successfully prevented the confrontation between the two groups. The ABVP protesters even tried to climb up the police barricades in efforts to enter the campus.
Jadavpur University authorities on Wednesday, 25 September, appealed to "all stakeholders" to ensure no one is stopped from exercising their right to free speech on campus, reported PTI.
The authorities, in a signed statement, urged "all sections of the university community" to take necessary steps so that everyone can express views without fear.
"We appeal that measures be taken so that no one is restrained from exercising his/her right to express views freely. We need this to ensure the sustenance of democratic space on the campus and to guarantee freedom of speech and expression," said the statement signed by Vice-Chancellor (VC) Suranjan Das, pro-VCs Pradip K Ghosh, Chiranjib Bhattacharya and Registrar Snehamanju Basu.
The student who had allegedly pulled Union Minister Babul Supriyo's hair during the agitation by Left wing students at Jadavpur University on Thursday 19 September, said on Monday, 23 September, that there is no question of him apologising as he did not pull the BJP MPs hair intentionally.
The ABVP protesters, after failing to enter the Jadavpur University campus, ended their demonstration, after they sat down outside the university campus.
The number of protesters gathered at the ABVP rally are a mere fraction of the numbers at the anti-ABVP rally on Friday, 20 September, which is a testament to the student wing's limited presence in Kolkata.
West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, on the whole fiasco around Jadavpur University, said that protests are an important part of a democracy. She said that the day protests lose their value, India will stop being India.
The ABVP supporters, outside the JU campus tried to climb the police barricades, in order to try and enter the Jadavpur University campus.
As the ABVP has organised a march from Kolkata’s Golpark to the Jadavpur University campus, protesting the “anti-national” elements in Jadavpur University, the students have also organised a counter-demonstration at the campus.
Security has been beefed up, with heavy police deployment along with the rally and on the route, in prevent another confrontation.
The police has said that Police barricade is ready, and won't allow ABVP protesters to go all the way up to Jadavpur University, where the students are waiting in massive numbers.
Union minister Babul Supriyo on Saturday assured the mother of a student, who allegedly pulled the hair of the BJP leader at the Jadavpur University during his heckling on Thursday, that he will not harm the career of his son.
The student Debanjan Ballav's ailing mother Rupali had urged Supriyo to pardon his son as handing him over to the police would ruin his career.
"Dear auntie, don't worry. I will not take any action that will harm the career of your son," the minister said in a tweet on Saturday, and attached to it a newspaper clipping about the request of the woman who lives in Barddhaman town.
"I wish he learns from his mistake. Neither had I lodged any FIR against anybody, nor allowed anyone to do the same. Get well soon," Supriyo said in the micro-blogging site.
The newspaper clipping attached to the tweet carried a photograph of teary-eyed Rupali Ballav with her hands folded.
In a video, her son Debanjan was seen arguing angrily with the minister and pulling his hair at one point of time in the university campus.
An anti-ABVP protest was held in Delhi University on Saturday, in solidarity with students of Jadavpur University. The ABVP too held a protest in DU, against “Left terror”.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar on Saturday, 21 September, visited Jadavpur University VC Suranjan Das, undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kolkata, according to PTI.
The VC and the pro-VC were taken ill while Supriyo was heckled and gheraoed by the students at the university on Thursday.
Das and pro-VC PK Ghosh were hospitalised after they complained of “headache, vertigo, palpitation and nausea,” a medical bulletin issued by the hospital said.
Four complaints have been lodged at the Jadavpur Police Station regarding fracas on and around the Jadavpur University campus on Thursday, 19 September, according to The Telegraph.
A suo motu case has been registered against unknown people for vandalism outside Gate 4 and violence in the union room.
ABVP convener Nityananda Mistry has lodged a complaint against 20 people.
Arts Faculty Students' Union (AFSU) General Secretary Debraj Debnath has lodged a complaint against unknown supporters of the ABVP and the RSS.
BJP functionary Agnimitra Paul has also lodged a complaint against unknown persons for assaulting her and Union minister Babul Supriyo.
Reacting to the incident at the University campus, Jaipur MP Rajyavardhan Rathore also took to Twitter saying, “Deplorable conduct by a few students of Jadavpur University, physically assaulting a guest invited to speak at the University.”
He added, “if Ministers like Supriyo Babul cannot protect Bengal, then what will the public do?”
The Jadavpur University Teachers Association accused Union minister Babul Supriyo of making “highly provocative” gestures during an agitation by students, which aggravated the situation stating that they they should not have fallen prey to that provocation, reported PTI.
A day after high drama ensued at Jadavpur University with the heckling of Babul Supriyo, a protest march was held against the ABVP at the varsity on Friday.
A banner being carried by the protesters read, “We want education, not religion.”
BJP leaders and workers took out a protest rally in Kolkata on Friday after Babul Supriyo was ‘heckled’ in Jadavpur University on Thursday.
Jay Prakash Majumdar, BJP state vice president said, “He was heckled and beaten by students of SFI and Naxals. There is no law in the state.”
Describing the students who protested against him at Jadavpur University as "cowards and hooligans", Babul Supriyo on Friday said that they would not be dealt with in the same manner as they had done, but "rehabilitated mentally" so that they "behave as students".
Posting pictures of the incident at Jadavpur University campus on Thursday, Supriyo, said those who were involved in his assault would be "found out" soon.
Pointing to picture of a student pulling him by his hair, Supriyo in another tweet, wondered what action would the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government take against the student for assaulting him without any provocation.
Jagdeep Dhankar, the Governor of West Bengal and the Chancellor of Jadavpur University, has expressed his relief that his visit on Thursday to the University brought an end to the situation. In a press release, he said, “In his capacity as Chancellor, being guardian of the students, he took the call so as to connect with the students in the interest of education and institution.”
The release also added that before his visit to the University, Dhankar had “exhausted all possible avenues that could bring an end to the unsavoury spectacle by flagging the issue to the DGP and the Chief Secretary.”
According to the release, as a final step before going, the Governor & Chancellor of JU also took the initiative of connecting with Mamata Banerjee and apprising her of the situation and its possible consequences.
Student body SFI has reached Jadavpur police station to register a complaint on the incident.
ABVP will hold a procession in protest against Thursday’s incident. Meanwhile, BJP is also expected to hold a protest march.
Designer-turned BJP leader Agnimitra Paul, who was also present at Jadavpur University on Thursday along with Babul Supriyo, will file an FIR at the Jadavpur Police station on Friday.
Jadvapur University students are expected to hold an 'anti-hooliganism, anti-ABVP' protest at 4 pm on Thursday.
A solidarity protest in Kolkata's Presidency University at 5:30 pm and an effigy burning demonstration in Delhi's JNU at 6 pm are also scheduled.
The Trinamool Congress on Thursday criticised Governor Jagdeep Dhankar for his "partisan approach" in blaming the West Bengal government for the Jadavpur University fiasco, terming it "unfortunate and shocking" that he went to campus without informing the ruling dispensation.
TMC secretary general and Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said Dhankar went to the JU campus despite requests by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not go there and give the government certain time to control the situation.
The BJP leadership on Thursday lashed out at the TMC government in West Bengal over the ‘heckling’ of Union minister Babul Supriyo at Jadavpur University, and said the incident is indicative of the worsening law and order situation in the state.
Supriyo was shown black flags and heckled by a section of students at the varsity, where he had gone to address a seminar organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) - the student wing of the RSS.
Stick-wielding supporters of ABVP vandalised a room of the Arts Faculty Students’ Union.
Shouting 'Jai Shree Ram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', the ABVP supporters were seen setting fire to furniture, computers and ceiling fans of the room, and covering the signage outside it with black colour.
They even painted ‘ABVP’ on the wall of the room and burnt tyres before gate number four of JU.
Student body Arts Faculty Students' Union (AFSU) leader Debraj Debnath, one of the students who participated in the protest, asserted that "fascist forces" would not be allowed on the campus.
"We will not let the BJP, the RSS and the ABVP to spread their ideology in a liberal institute like JU," he was quoted by PTI as saying.
After he faced protests by student organisations, Babul Supriyo said that he was "saddened" at the students' behaviour.
"I did not come here to do politics. But I am saddened by the behaviour of some of the students of the university, the way they have heckled me," he said, adding that students tried to "provoke him by openly calling themselves Naxals".
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