A BJP functionary addressed a Jadavpur University teacher as “Sir” and said “aapnake aamra chine rakhchhi (we have marked you)”.
The thinly-veiled threat from Partha Chakraborty, a member of the BJP’s south Calcutta committee, was in response to a Facebook post by Santwan Chattopadhyay condemning the assault on one of his students.
The student was beaten up when he tried to rescue another teacher when she was being assaulted by suspected BJP supporters on December 30.
Chakraborty wrote to Chattopadhyay, an associate professor of journalism and mass communication at JU, through Facebook Messenger on Wednesday evening: “Sir, aapnake aamra chine rakchhi, aapnar chhatro okhane biplab korte gechhilo tai ektu aadhtu shikhha deoa hoyechhe, samay bodlabe sir se katha mathay rakhben, bhalo thakben, pranam neben, aapnar ek jatiyotabadi chhatro (Sir, we have marked you. Your student went there for revolution, so he has been taught a mild lesson, please keep this in mind sir that times will change. Stay well, regards, one of your nationalist students).”
The apparent show of respect to a teacher, coupled with a threat, is reminiscent of the threat a schoolteacher would receive in Tapan Sinha’s 1986 film Atanka (Terror). There, a schoolteacher witnesses a murder being committed by a former student.
Throughout the film, the murderer appears before the teacher to remind him in an eerily calm voice: “Sir, aapni kintu kichhui dekhenni (Sir, you have not seen anything).”
Chakraborty identifies himself as Partha Chak on his Facebook profile.
The JU teacher said he received the message on Wednesday evening.
“I did not know him previously. Once he had sent me a friend request, but I did not accept it. On December 30, as I came to know about an assault on one of my students, Pinaki Dhole, I posted a message on my Facebook page (on December 30). Hardly could I realise that this could draw a threat message,” Chattopadhyay told Metro.
Sir, we have marked you. Your student went there for revolution, so he has been taught a mild lesson, please keep this in mind sir that times will change. Stay well, regards, one of your nationalist students Sourced by The Telegraph
The teacher’s Facebook post on December 30 read: “Strongly condemn hooliganism in the name of politics. Standing by my student Pinaki Dhole.”
Dhole and Rahi Halder, another student of Chattopadhyay’s department, had gone to rescue a teacher of the university when she was being assaulted near the 8B bus stand in Jadavpur.
The teacher, an assistant professor, said she was targetted because she protested alleged hate speeches directed at JU at a BJP rally in support of the amended citizenship act.
Dhole said he had been roughed up and his cellphone snatched when he tried to record the assault on the teacher.
“As I came to know of the attack on him (Dhole), I posted the message around 9pm. I am not scared by this kind of threat message,” said Chattopadhyay.
He sent a mail to the cyber crime division of Calcutta police on Wednesday: “I have received a threatening message via Facebook messenger from a person who is not known to me physically or virtually. I am attaching the screenshot for your ready reference. This is for information and necessary action if any.”
When this newspaper tried to contact Chakraborty, he said he wanted to “send a message” to the teacher. “These two students were present there to disrupt the BJP rally. Santwan babu took their side and therefore I gave him a message. I was present at that meeting. I know exactly what had happened.”
Asked what he meant by “aapnake aamra chine rakhchhi”, Chakraborty said: “This was not at all abusive. I have spoken to my lawyer. You get to know each other.... That’s what I meant.”
Did not the words “ektu aadhtu shikhha deoa hoyechhe” mean that Dhole had been bashed up by BJP supporters? “They were trying to disrupt the meeting and our supporters drove them away.... They were aiding the JU teacher who was trying to provoke our supporters,” Chakraborty said.
