The Jadavpur University [JU] had been on the boil since Monday morning in protest against the violence in the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday.
The situation turned volatile late in the evening when supporters of the BJP and the students came face to face near the university. Around 9 pm, the two groups had a few rounds of scuffles and both sides started a sit-in near the Bagha Jatin crossing, a km south of the university. Prior to the sit in, the police asked both sides to leave but they decided to stay put. The police resorted to lathicharge and members of both sides received minor injuries. The students alleged that women too were beaten up by the police.
Earlier in the day, students took out a huge rally. They walked for close to four hours raising anti-CAA and NRC slogans till they came face to face with a BJP rally, led by Anupam Hazra.
A party candidate in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Hazra alleged that “leftist students went on the rampage at our party office on Sulekha crossing and burnt down the party flag”. While the students set the BJP’s flags on fire in front of the party office in Jadavpur, both the teachers and the students, who participated in the rally, alleged that the BJP had started the fight. “The BJP supporters threw stones and also said we should go to Pakistan which triggered the fight,” a student said.
Rallies were taken out by the students of the Presidency University also. A rally went past the BJP headquarters in Central Avenue. Students belonging to the SFI and the All India Students Association (AISA) also held protests at the College Street area. Students affiliated to Left organisation also took out rallies in Asansol Durgapur area. There were reports of a few sporadic scuffles further south of the city.
