Jadavpur University: Clashes follow BJP protest; students assaulted by central forces, trans woman assaulted by BJP men

Violent clashes erupted between BJP/ABVP workers and the students of the Revolutionary Students Front on Thursday. The RSF activists holding black flags were voicing their dissent in front of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s car, while he was leaving a BJP staged demonstration in front of Jadavpur University, in connection with the death of Swapnadeep Kundu. Chaos ensued when Adhikari’s convoy was passing by the dissenting students holding black flags. Central forces deployed for the security cover of Suvendu Adhikari forcefully removed the protesting students, man-handled them and also assaulted at least two students who were seen raising “go back BJP” slogans.

“The armed police hit us, they kicked us too. We were simply there to voice our dissent and held black flags in protest. Suvendu Adhikari must know that there is a serious dearth of hostels on campus, and the infrastructural conditions are simply deplorable. The authorities say that it is the lack of funds that has culminated into this, we wanted the leader to address this issue”, says Indranuj Roy, one of the dissenting students who was beaten up by firstly the CRPF, and then by BJP workers. “The police did not stop those BJP goons, the CRPF hurled uncouth abuses at us”, he added.

As the news of this showdown reached the stage where BJP workers were still holding their demonstration, a crowd from there rushed towards the protesting RSF students. They were gheraoed by BJP workers and assaulted. In the commotion a trans woman was also seen being heckled and brutally hit with helmets. The trans woman later identified as Urmi e Azar, was pushed to the ground and kicked by the group of men and she was later seen bleeding profusely.  “They are BJP goons, this is the kind of politics they do. This is their culture. The unfortunate incident of ragging has claimed Swapnadeep’s life, I was here to join the ongoing protests, and this is what those goons did to me”, said Urmi, while she was being piled into a police vehicle. Police later took her for medical treatment.

They were handful of students not more than four who tried to show black flags to Suvendu Adhikari, what led to the violent clashes. BJP workers had outnumbered the RSF students.  

A chaotic situation unfolded in front of Jadavpur University, where the student activists were outnumbered by the BJP cadres. The student activists allege that BJP is trying to weaponise Swapnadeep’s death to penetrate into the democratic space of Jadavpur University.  “The demonstration was peaceful; we were simply voicing our dissent. “Suvendu Adhikari is a mass murderer. He is the representative of a political party which commits genocides, from Gujarat, to Manipur, to Haryana, and we will not allow such a mass murderer, representative of such a political party to destroy the democratic space that is Jadavpur”, said Tathagatha Rouchowdhury, a RSF activist who was also attacked. The protesting students were threatened and their political identity was questioned by the BJP workers. He further alleges that they were attacked by the CRPF jawans who were guarding Suvendu Adhikari, and then by the BJP ‘hooligans’. They say that they were repeatedly provoked and taunted by the BJP cadres.

Suvendu Adhikari during his speech from the protest stage had called the left wing student activists “tukde-tukde” gang and had threatened that like in JNU, here in Jadavpur University too “nationalist forces will enter to tame them down”. He has called for a mega rally, a march to Jadavpur University by BJP and ABVP workers next week in order to “shake the gates of the university”

“Like the tail of a dog, these students will not be straightened unless they are brought to task” said Suvendu Adhikari in a high decibel speech. 17 year old Swapnadeep Kundu died on August 10, under mysterious circumstances. He was recovered from the Jadavpur University Main Hostel the night before, with minimum clothes on his body. He was allegedly ragged to death. An investigation is underway and the police have nabbed 9 people in connection to the case. Suvendu Adhikari while stating that he will be meeting the bereaved family soon, he would also offer the family the choice to ask for independent court monitored probe and that he will give them the support for the same.