Weeks after West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu was allegedly attacked and his vehicle damaged, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed that no seminars or meetings involving political leaders or other prominent figures would be allowed at Jadavpur University. The court instructed that only academicians should be invited to such events.
Jadavpur University descended into chaos on March 1 when Basu had gone to the campus to attend the annual general meeting of the West Bengal College and University Professors' Association (WBCUPA). Several left-wing student organisations staged protests, demanding student union elections.
The protests quickly escalated, with allegations that the education minister’s car was vandalised. Other than him, interim vice-chancellor Bhaskar Gupta and professor Om Prakash Misra were also allegedly attacked. Students claimed that one of their peers was injured after being hit by the minister’s vehicle.
Following this incident, campus law and order deteriorated. In response, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Calcutta High Court, requesting state police security at every entrance of the university. While hearing the matter, the division bench of the chief justice ordered the deployment of special forces at JU.
Questioning why the university administration was not willing to take the help of the police, the bench further said that the interim VC must have the will to bring things under control on the campus.
Meanwhile, the same division bench also heard on Thursday a PIL related to pending student union elections across colleges and universities. Student organisations affiliated with opposition parties have repeatedly voiced their demands for student union elections.
The petitioner argued that while other elections in the state continue without disruption, student body elections have remained suspended since 2013. Yet, funds for festivals and other campus events continue to be sanctioned regularly. The plea urged that elections be held in accordance with the Lyngdoh Commission’s guidelines.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Sivagnanam reminded that, as per state regulations, student elections should be conducted every two years. The court then asked the state government to clarify when the polls could be held. The state’s legal representative, however, cited the absence of permanent Vice-Chancellors in several universities as a major hurdle in organising the elections.
The High Court division bench directed the higher education department to submit an affidavit on the matter and scheduled the next hearing for three weeks later.