On Monday, police lathicharged Jadavpur University students, near Sulekha Mor in Kolkata, during protest against JNU violence.
Some students were injured in the baton charge. There was much tension in the area as three rallies taken out by the BJP, the JU students and the CPI-M came tantalisingly close to each other in the area - a stone's throw from the university. The BJP had taken out a rally from Bagha Jatin accusing the Leftist students of Jadavpur University of vandalising one of its offices and torching the party flag.
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The JU students, numbering several hundred, came out from their campus and wanted to march to Sulelha crossing and shouted slogan pledging to stop the BJP procession at 8B bus stand close to the university main building. In the meantime, a CPI-M torchlight procession decrying the violence at JNU and backing the January 8 general strike called by the central trade unions also reached the area.
All three groups started shouting slogans, as the large number of police personnel doing duty in the area barricaded the protestors by putting up guard rails. Temperatures soared as BJP activists burnt a red flag while the students tore a BJP flag. The tension increased further as some JU students scuffled with a BJP activist, alleging he had asked them to go to Pakistan. Realising the situation was getting out of hand, the police started miking and ordered the groups to disperse. But when their pleas failed, the security forces resorted to the baton charge and dispersed the protestors. The JU students claimed four of their comrades were injured.
(Inputs from IANS)
