Presidency University has constituted a committee to probe the recent campus unrest that culminated in students hitting the streets for a protest march on Monday.
“The competent authorities have taken serious note of some incidents that occurred last week.... Vice-chancellor has formed a high-powered committee to enquire the matter relating to the incidents of the last week,” said a notification signed by registrar Debajyoti Konar.
The committee can call any person for a hearing and will submit a report with recommendations at the earliest.
“The competent authority will not hesitate to implement the recommendations in an appropriate manner in accordance with rules and regulations,” the notice said.
The students who marched from College Street to Shyambazar on Monday held a banner that said “Presidency te sadharan chhatra chhatrider opor Trinamuli akraman ke dhikkar (We condemn the assault on general students by students owing allegiance to Trinamul).”
The Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), Trinamul’s student wing, which had launched a unit at Presidency in February, denied the charges and said supporters of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Independents’ Consolidation (IC) were levelling false allegations against them.
A Presidency official said the charges of physical assault that the students’ factions were levelling against each other were “unheard of” in recent times. He said this was hampering the academic atmosphere on the campus.
“We have received complaints that students are being beaten up in areas like Amherst Street and Sealdah on their way home. They are being threatened at home by goons. Classes are being disrupted because of sustained tension. Girl students are being verbally abused. This has to stop,” the official said.
Unrest on the campus has been going on following clashes between supporters of the SFI, IC and TMCP since August 3, a university official said.
A Presidency teacher said that since education minister Bratya Basu, an alumnus of the erstwhile Presidency College, hinted at the resumption of campus polls last month, the rival students’ bodies were increasingly getting involved in a turf war.
“The incoming first-year students will be enrolled from this month. They want to show strength in an attempt to build their base among the freshers, which they think will benefit them during the elections,” said the teacher who did not want to be named.
Minister Basu had on July 8 said the state government was keen to resume elections to college and university students’ unions “in a free and fair way” and wanted the participation of Opposition parties’ student outfits in the polls.
Elections in colleges could not be held since the outbreak of Covid-19.
Calls to Presidency vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia went unanswered.