The Crossbill Team
A large student protest broke out at Jadavpur University (JU) on Saturday (March 1) during the visit of West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu, leading to chaotic scenes on campus.
Some protesting students allegedly gheraoed the minister’s car, with reports also suggesting that Basu was physically manhandled. The minister was later admitted to SSKM Hospital, where doctors confirmed that his condition was stable.
However, a video circulating on social media showed the minister’s car ran over a student within an educational institution before fleeing the scene. Instead of ensuring student safety, his convoy drove away without even taking stock of the injured student.
The protest was led by members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), along with other Left-affiliated student groups. Their primary demand was the immediate conduct of students' union elections at the university.
Students Allege Police Inaction on FIR Against Minister
The protesting students claimed that one of their fellow demonstrators had been grievously injured by a vehicle from the minister’s convoy.
They attempted to file an FIR against Bratya Basu but alleged that the police delayed the process citing technical reasons.
“The officers kept coming up with excuses to avoid registering the FIR. The road blockade was our way of protesting this injustice,” said a student leader.
According to eyewitnesses, tensions escalated when Basu, who was attending the annual general meeting of the West Bengal College and University Professors Association (WBCUPA), entered the campus from a different gate to avoid student demonstrators gathered at the main entrance.
Following the incident, WBCUPA representatives filed a complaint against the protesting students at Jadavpur police station.
Reacting strongly to the protest, Trinamool Congress leader and party state general secretary Kunal Ghosh condemned the attack on the minister.
“We are shocked. This was a premeditated attack on Bratya Basu. Such hooliganism will not be tolerated,” he said.
During his address at the WBCUPA meeting, Basu took a dig at the Left-backed students, stating, “The TMC is fighting against saffronization. Those who are protesting outside—ask them how many times they have protested against the BJP.”
As the protest continued, Left-affiliated student groups staged a blockade near Jadavpur police station, severely disrupting traffic across South Kolkata for nearly two hours.
The roadblock, which began around 6:15 PM and continued past 8 PM, left commuters stranded across key roads, including Southern Avenue, Sukanta Setu, and the Prince Anwar Shah Road connector.
The Kolkata Police implemented multiple diversions to manage the congestion, rerouting vehicles via the Rashbehari connector, Tollygunge, and Gariahat to ease the gridlock.
Meanwhile, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to control the situation and eventually disperse the protesters.
Some protesting students allegedly gheraoed the minister’s car, with reports also suggesting that Basu was physically manhandled. The minister was later admitted to SSKM Hospital, where doctors confirmed that his condition was stable.
However, a video circulating on social media showed the minister’s car ran over a student within an educational institution before fleeing the scene. Instead of ensuring student safety, his convoy drove away without even taking stock of the injured student.
The protest was led by members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), along with other Left-affiliated student groups. Their primary demand was the immediate conduct of students' union elections at the university.
Students Allege Police Inaction on FIR Against Minister
The protesting students claimed that one of their fellow demonstrators had been grievously injured by a vehicle from the minister’s convoy.
They attempted to file an FIR against Bratya Basu but alleged that the police delayed the process citing technical reasons.
“The officers kept coming up with excuses to avoid registering the FIR. The road blockade was our way of protesting this injustice,” said a student leader.
According to eyewitnesses, tensions escalated when Basu, who was attending the annual general meeting of the West Bengal College and University Professors Association (WBCUPA), entered the campus from a different gate to avoid student demonstrators gathered at the main entrance.
Following the incident, WBCUPA representatives filed a complaint against the protesting students at Jadavpur police station.
Reacting strongly to the protest, Trinamool Congress leader and party state general secretary Kunal Ghosh condemned the attack on the minister.
“We are shocked. This was a premeditated attack on Bratya Basu. Such hooliganism will not be tolerated,” he said.
During his address at the WBCUPA meeting, Basu took a dig at the Left-backed students, stating, “The TMC is fighting against saffronization. Those who are protesting outside—ask them how many times they have protested against the BJP.”
As the protest continued, Left-affiliated student groups staged a blockade near Jadavpur police station, severely disrupting traffic across South Kolkata for nearly two hours.
The roadblock, which began around 6:15 PM and continued past 8 PM, left commuters stranded across key roads, including Southern Avenue, Sukanta Setu, and the Prince Anwar Shah Road connector.
The Kolkata Police implemented multiple diversions to manage the congestion, rerouting vehicles via the Rashbehari connector, Tollygunge, and Gariahat to ease the gridlock.
Meanwhile, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to control the situation and eventually disperse the protesters.
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