Calcutta police on Thursday started a suo motu case against members of an "organisation" who entered Jadavpur University wearing camouflage fatigues on Wednesday and initially claimed to be from the Indian Army and then said they were connected to the "National Human Rights Commission".

The police case came at the end of the day during which the JU authorities seemed reluctant to lodge a complaint on their own even after the army had distanced itself from any such outfit.

The police action followed an informal intimation from the Eastern Command about the group of men and women who had entered the JU campus on Wednesday afternoon wearing uniforms.

A team of officers from Lalbazar and Jadavpur police station went to the office of the university’s registrar on Thursday evening to seek details. Registrar Snehamanju Basu was at the officiating vice-chancellor’s office around 5pm when the police reached her office.

“Bharatiya Sena” written on the trousers along with sword insignia. Bishwarup Dutta

On Thursday evening, the police said that as there was no formal complaint from the university, they started a suo motu case against the secretary of the organisation and "25-30 others" for alleged misuse of a logo of the Indian Army which was "meant to be exclusively used by the Indian Army personnel".

"A case has been registered under Sections 140 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code," said joint commissioner (crime) of Calcutta police, Sankha Shubhra Chakrabarty.

The group in uniform stationed themselves in the portico of Aurobindo Bhavan, JU’s administrative headquarters, on Wednesday. Bishwarup Dutta

The group wore red berets and their shoulder lapels carried the abbreviation "WHRPF". A person who identified himself as their “group captain” had said on Wednesday that "WHRPF" stood for the "World Human Rights Peace Force". Their trousers had "Bharatiya Sena" written in Hindi and carried a sword insignia resembling what the army uses. A letterhead they carried had “Asian Human Rights Society” printed on it.

This newspaper called all nine mobile phone numbers mentioned on the letterhead of the organisation. Only one of them had a response. Someone took the call and asked the reporter to contact the secretary, Quazi Sadeque Hossain.

Hossain’s number was one of the remaining eight. He did not respond to the calls.

Registrar Basu told The Telegraph: “The VC has told me to inform the police that they have to send their queries in writing. He will respond to written queries.”

The officiating vice-chancellor, Buddhab Sau, a pro-BJP teacher leader, continued to see nothing wrong in the presence of an outfit that initially claimed that it reported to the defence ministry.

When this newspaper asked him whether he would lodge a police complaint about an outfit whose claims have been questioned by a spokesperson for the army’s Eastern Command, Sau said: “Jadavpur University has an open environment. Anyone can enter the campus. Is there any restriction on entry?”

On Wednesday, Sau had said the group was an NGO that wanted to provide security to the university for free.

Asked on Thursday whether an NGO is accompanied by a group of men and women in army fatigues, he said: “What is the problem if they enter? This is a free country where everyone enjoys freedom. Don’t they have the freedom to enter? How did they enter the state? What was the police administration doing about it?

“We don’t have that security. Anybody can enter. Do we have adequate security to prevent this? We will let everyone enter. This is what is being demanded by the students. If the students have any objection to the entry (of a group of men and women in army fatigue), let them inform the police.”

On Wednesday afternoon when the uniformed group stationed itself outside JU’s administrative headquarters, a section of students protested and many wondered how a group in army-like fatigues could enter a campus where the police do not step in without explicit instructions from the VC.

A JU professor who requested not to be named said: “It was strange that a private army came to the campus to help the university. The authorities are not questioning their locus standi. I don’t see any murmur of protest beyond what happened on Wednesday afternoon.”

Officiating VC Sau said: “I don’t see any problem. We have not restricted anyone. Then we have to come up with a list of restrictions. Nobody has lodged any complaint. Then where is the problem? They have come through the university gate. I cannot stand guard at the university gates. We have not instructed our security men, telling them not to allow people in this dress (army fatigue). Then? I don’t see any threat. I am not lodging any complaint with the police.”

Partha Pratim Roy, the general secretary of the JU teachers’ association, said: “We have sought to know from the registrar how they could come. We condemn this unauthorised entry.”