Jadavpur University Violence: ABVP Seeks Police Probe Into Gate 4 Emblem Removal, Alleges Conspiracy To Frame Supporters

Kolkata: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Wednesday lodged a police complaint seeking an investigation to unravel the 'conspiracy' behind last week's student violence in Jadavpur University and the pulling out of its emblem from a gate.

The RSS-affiliated student groups also demanded that the police probe into the role of two professors who allegedly sought to malign and frame the ABVP supporters, who were demonstrating nearby, for the breaking of the plaque from gate number 4.

A general meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU) on August 19 evening led to a clash between members of the RSS-affiliated ABVP and Left-leaning student groups at the university here at night on that day and early on August 20, leaving several students injured. Both sides accused each other of bringing outsiders onto the campus.

In a related incident in the afternoon of August 20, both SFI and ABVP supporters scuffled with the police in their bid to enter the campus from two ends of the same road while the law enforcers struggled to keep them at bay. During the melee, the university's emblem was pulled down from gate number 4.

The emblem was designed by Nandalal Bose, one of the pioneers of Indian modern art.

In the complaint made to Jadavpur police station, ABVP's JU unit office-bearer Shubhbrata Adhikari said that the organisation wants a "fair, impartial and comprehensive" probe into the circumstances surrounding the damage to the plaque by examining CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts, and other available evidence.

The ABVP also demanded that appropriate legal action be taken if the investigation establishes "evidence of conspiracy, dissemination of false information, evidence tampering, incitement or any other offence" that contributed to the deterioration of the law-and-order situation.

Alleging that a JU professor belonging to a Left-leaning teachers’ association was among the first to publicly raise the issue of the damaged plaque, the organisation alleged that the professor concerned flagged the emblem episode to media persons around to "malign and frame ABVP”.

The complainant also urged police to ascertain whether the particular professor had any video footage or other information concerning the incident and whether he had any direct or indirect communication with persons involved in it.

The complainant alleged that the incident could have been staged, which was followed by dissemination of misleading information with an intention to malign a "particular political or ideological organisation”.

The complaint also sought examination of the alleged role of another professor in the matter.

The ABVP asked the police to preserve and examine mobile phones, CCTV recordings, social media posts, videos and other digital evidence related to the August 19-20 developments in accordance with law.

The complaint also referred to alleged "anti-national" graffiti on the university campus and sought examination of the activities of Jadavpur University Teachers Association office-bearers in connection with issues concerning Manipur and Kashmir.

It also called for verification of allegations regarding their purported association with individuals including activist Umar Khalid who is in jail in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots case, and Maoist leader Kishenji who was shot dead by the West Bengal Police in 2011.

The SFI, the student wing of the CPI(M), earlier countered the narrative of the ABVP and BJP, arguing that there should be an inclusive space for different opinions and ideologies among all university stakeholders, and no attempt should be made to gag democratic views.

Jadavpur University authorities have set up a committee to investigate the violence on the campus, and the panel is likely to hold its first meeting this week.

The police also registered multiple FIRs over the clashes and visited the university on Tuesday for investigation.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)