The name of Syama Prasad Mookerjee engraved on a marble wall of Presidency University here was found smeared with black ink on Monday, days after a bust of the Jana Sangh founder was defiled in south Kolkata.
The wall is on the ground floor of the main building of the iconic institution. Names of distinguished alumni of Presidency College, now a university, are engraved on the wall. Mookerjee had graduated from the college with a first class first in English in 1922.
University Registrar Debajyoti Konar said the staff of the institution first noticed ink smeared on Mookerjee’s name in the morning and alerted the authorities.
Minister condemns act
Condemning the act, West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters that the incident should be investigated and the perpetrators identified. “The university should ensure that those responsible for the act are punished in the most appropriate manner,” he said.
Mr. Konar said a five-member high-powered committee comprising the dean of students and other senior university officials has been constituted to inquire into the incident and identify the culprits.
“The CCTV footage is being examined. We’ll take strict action in accordance with the university rules against those involved,” he added.
The university’s SFI unit, the students’ wing of CPI(M), condemned the incident. It said in a statement that such acts went against the tradition of the institution.
A bust of Mookerjee was found defiled in the city on March 7 and seven people belonging to a Left-wing group were arrested.
