JU clashes: There will be ‘surgical strikes’ again if anti-national slogans are raised there, says Bengal Minister

Kolkata, Aug 21 (IANS) West Bengal Minister for Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development, Dilip Ghosh, told media persons here on Friday, “There will be surgical strikes again in Jadavpur University in Kolkata if anti-national slogans are raised there again.”

His statement came in reaction to the two rounds of clashes between the activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the students’ wing of the CPI(M) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) that is affiliated with the RSS.

The clashes took place first on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday and then on Thursday evening at Jadavpur University (JU), one of India’s premier educational institutions.

“The previous Trinamool Congress government had nurtured anti-national activities within the campus for years. No one dared to protest then. Our party workers tried to conduct surgical strikes against such anti-national activities within the campus earlier also. We asked them to immediately stop all such activities within the campus. If anti-national movements are seen there or anti-national slogans are raised there again, there will be surgical strikes there again,” Ghosh threatened while talking to media persons on Friday morning.

He also stated that the regime in West Bengal had changed and the new BJP government in the state will not tolerate such activities within the JU campus.

Meanwhile, the JU authorities have decided to form a probe committee on the two clashes within and in front of the campus, in which the engraved emblem of Jadavpur University, designed by renowned painter Nandalal Bose, was damaged. Nandalal Bose was one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism.

A meeting had been convened with all JU stakeholders at 3 p.m. on Friday, to discuss the steps required to maintain peace and order within the university campus. At the same time, different Left students’ organisations have called for a procession within the campus later in the day.

Meanwhile an association of JU teachers have convened a protest demonstration between 2 p.m and 4.pm. on Friday condemning the clashes and damage to the university emblem. All current and former teachers of JU had been invited to attend.

The Calcutta University Teachers’ Association has also condemned the Jadavpur incident. In a statement, they said that the sanctity of one of India’s premier educational institutions should not be allowed to be tarnished by the actions of a few politically-motivated unscrupulous individuals.

–IANS

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