Kolkata: A clash broke out between members of ABVP and left-leaning student groups at Jadavpur University early on Thursday, August 20, with either side accusing the other of bringing outsiders onto campus, varsity sources said.
Several students were injured in the clash, and some of them were taken to a hospital for treatment, they said.
The confrontation began at a general meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (FETSU) on Wednesday and continued late into the night, a varsity source said.
Jadavpur University’s administrative building, Aurobindo Bhavan, was locked amid the escalating tension, while groups of students gathered outside the building.
Fires were also allegedly set at a few places on the campus in the early hours of Thursday, the university sources said.
Videos circulating among students’ social media groups showed several right-wing affiliated people shouting slogans and attempting to enter locked buildings of the university and burning flags.
The two camps have traded allegations over the presence of people from outside the university.
RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) alleged that members of the Left student organisations, including the SFI and DSO-DSF, had started confrontations under the cover of the FETSU meeting.
Left-leaning groups, however, accused the ABVP of bringing outsiders into the campus and indulging in vandalism.
ABVP functionary Shubhabrata Adhikari alleged that several people from outside the university were involved in the attack and FIRs were being lodged.
He also said members of the organisation had gathered outside the Jadavpur Police Station in protest.
Left student groups rejected the allegation and accused the ABVP of attempting to enter and take control of university spaces.
DSO leaders alleged that flags were pulled down and fires were lit during the confrontation.
ABVP announced a protest on the university campus on Thursday over the incident.
In response, SFI declared a protest rally at the 8B bus stand near the university during the day, its state committee member Subhajit Sarkar said.
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