1 week ago
Teachers Seek Police Outpost After Violence at Jadavpur University
A fight happened at Jadavpur University after a disagreement involving the ABVP and Left-leaning students.
The ABVP said one of its leaders was beaten on August 19.
The next day, ABVP supporters allegedly entered the campus and attacked parts of it.
Some students reportedly hid behind a gate while fireballs were thrown at them.
A teachers’ group connected to the RSS then asked for a permanent police outpost.
Some university teachers and students believe the violence was deliberately used to create support for that request.
They worry that permanent police presence could reduce the campus’s tradition of open debate.
The teachers’ group says police would make the campus safer and help stop unrest.
Jadavpur University has previously opposed the proposal and has not announced a change in position.
The ABVP alleged that Left-leaning students assaulted its unit president, Nikhil Das, on August 19.
ABVP supporters allegedly entered Jadavpur University the next day, ransacked parts of the campus and threw fireballs at students.
The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh urged the vice-chancellor to establish a permanent police outpost.
Students and teachers alleged that the violence was used to revive a long-opposed demand for permanent police presence.
The university has resisted an outpost, while Kolkata Police requested campus space for an outpost and barracks on March 11, 2025.
- Who
- The ABVP, Left-leaning students, the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh, Jadavpur University teachers and students, university officials, and Kolkata Police.
- What
- After alleged campus violence, the teachers’ group demanded a permanent police outpost at Jadavpur University.
- Where
- Jadavpur University in Kolkata.
- When
- The alleged assault occurred on August 19, followed by the alleged campus raid on August 20; Kolkata Police made a separate request on March 11, 2025.
- Why
- The teachers’ group cited campus security and frequent unrest, while opponents alleged that the violence was used to advance a police-outpost proposal.
Opponents of a Permanent Outpost
Supporters of a Permanent Outpost
Purpose of the violence
Opponents of a Permanent Outpost
Some students and teachers alleged that the RSS and its affiliates stoked violence to create a pretext for demanding a police outpost.
Supporters of a Permanent Outpost
The teachers’ Mahasangh denied this, saying its request followed a serious incident and was not new.
Campus atmosphere
Opponents of a Permanent Outpost
Opponents said permanent police presence could stifle Jadavpur University’s tradition of open, independent and critical thinking.
Supporters of a Permanent Outpost
Supporters said an outpost would improve security, provide prompt police intervention and help resolve frequent unrest.
Existing security arrangements
Opponents of a Permanent Outpost
Jadavpur University has favored measures such as additional CCTV cameras and security personnel instead of a permanent outpost.
Supporters of a Permanent Outpost
The Mahasangh argued that the August 19 incident showed those existing measures were inadequate.
Key facts
- Alleged initial assault
- The ABVP said its unit president, Nikhil Das, was beaten by Left-leaning students around 9 p.m. on August 19.
- Alleged campus attack
- ABVP supporters allegedly entered the campus around 1 a.m. on August 20, ransacked it and threw fireballs at students.
- Police-outpost demand
- The Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh requested a permanent and effective police presence.
- University position
- Jadavpur University has resisted a permanent police outpost for years and reiterated its opposition in a High Court update last December.
- Police request
- Kolkata Police sought space from the university for an outpost and barracks on March 11, 2025.
- Reported rationale
- The teachers’ group said the existing security measures were inadequate and that an outpost would enable prompt intervention.
Quotes
Parthapratim Roy
Jadavpur University professor and representative of the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association
“We believe a police outpost will help resolve the frequent unrest on the JU campus. Besides, Kolkata Police wrote to the JU administration last year to set up a police outpost. There is also a high court order on this, issued following the campus unrest in 2014. So, what we have sought is nothing new.”
telegraphindia.com
“Setting up a police camp has long been on the agenda of the RSS and the BJP. The previous government also tried to establish a police outpost. The saffron forces now wanted to finish what the Trinamool had left undone.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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