Jadavpur University campus crackdown: Vice Chancellor says demonstrators thrashed, abused him

After 23 students were arrested last night while protesting outside the Jadavpur University campus against the alleged molestation of a student, Vice Chancellor Abhijit Chakraborty on Wednesday said that he was forced to call the police after the demonstrators became unruly.

"An ICC (Internal Complex Committee) meeting was going on, probing the molestation case. A section of students became totally unruly so I had to call the police to rescue us. At around 2 am, the police rescued us but during the rescue operation, I have seen, some alleged students started to thrash me. They were hurling abuses and they tried to hit the policemen who were escorting me," Chakraborty told ANI here.

The Vice Chancellor further said that he saw a number of unknown students sitting among the demonstrators, adding that the teachers also did not recognise them. "I will consult the executive council and they will see how to handle the situation," Chakraborty said.

As many as ten male students had allegedly dragged a female student of the university into the boys' hostel and molested her during a college festival last month. The victim informed the college authorities and filed a police complaint, following which the officials began an investigation.

No arrests have, however, been made so far.

Meanwhile, the students of Jadavpur University have sought the Vice Chancellor's resignation and demanded a fresh probe into the alleged molestation case. "We have decided that we want a resignation from the VC and the entire panel. Until and unless he comes and talks to us in person, we are going to carry forward with this agitation," Ritika Dasgupta, a student, said.