Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said those responsible for the death of the first-year Jadavpur University student, who died after allegedly being thrown from the main hostel on Wednesday night, are “Marxists” before claiming that rampant ragging on the campus turned the varsity campus into “Atankapur (a place of terror)”.
“The student’s father told me about his pain and informed me how his son was being tortured inside the hostel. The father of the student told me that it was beyond his imagination that his son would be tortured and finally thrown off the hostel. Who are they? They are Marxists,” said Mamata while speaking at a programme on the eve of Independence Day in Behala.
Mamata called the father of the student, who hails from Nadia, on Thursday morning and promised that the government and police would take stern action against those responsible for the death of his son.
The death of the first-year undergraduate student late on Wednesday has become the most talked about issue in
the state over the past few days but Mamata spoke about it for the first time on Monday evening.
“I am saddened, shocked and stunned. Those people (Marxists) consider that they own the place. They don’t allow the police to enter the campus. They don’t allow us to install CCTV cameras. Jadavpur, which is a name among glorious universities, turned into Atankapur (a place of terror) following rampant ragging,” said the visibly annoyed chief minister.
Students and a section of teachers had earlier thwarted all attempts to install CCTV cameras and restrict the movement of outsiders on the campus. Students who had graduated from the university and continued to stay on in its hostels allegedly played a key role in the teenager’s death last week.
Mamata said though she visits other university campuses in the state, she avoids visiting Jadavpur.
“Jadavpur University is surely a prestigious and reputable institution, but I don’t want to go there because they may be good in studies but they lack humanity. Only gaining education is not enough, one has to be humane and empathetic towards the people,” she said.
The chief minister clarified that she does not blame “everyone” on the campus,
especially the common student.
“I don’t blame everyone there (Jadavpur University). There are a few CPM supporters, who think that torturing students coming from the rural belt is their right,” she said.
Mamata not only attacked the Left-leaning students on the Jadavpur University campus but also attacked the CPM leadership for being “hand in glove” with the BJP.
“Those people say big things now (on different issues). They have a secret coalition with the BJP and sometimes they form an alliance with the Congress. They consider Trinamul as their prime enemy. They don’t have any emotion, conscience, or humanity...,” she said, before talking of incidents of violence during the 34 years of Left rule in Bengal.
“Till date, these people are not ashamed of their actions. From Singur and Amta to Cooch Behar and Netai,
there are countless examples of their barbarity,” Mamata said.
CPM politburo member Ram Chandra Dome told this newspaper: “The CPM or its students’ wing SFI have no connection with the Jadavpur University incident. It is already proved that those
arrested in connection with the death of the student are not from any of our party
outfits. The SFI does not believe in such barbarity and always helps students on campus.”
“Persons involved in such heinous act can’t be Leftists,” he added.
“The CPM had never had any coalition with the BJP. We know who had a coalition with the BJP and enjoyed a berth in the Union ministry,” the CPM leader said.