india

Updated: Jul 24, 2019 23:38 IST

Supporters of Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) allegedly thrashed a college professor in Bengal’s Hooghly district on Wednesday after he tried to protect female post-graduate students from a group of ruling party supporters who urged them to shout “Mamata Banerjee zindabad”.

Subrata Chatterjee, who teaches Bengali to post-graduate students at Nabagram Hiralal Paul College in Konnagar, lodged a complaint with the police station in the evening.

Chatterjee said a group of post-graduate students had a heated argument with some undergraduate students who are TMCP’s college unit members and leaders. The post-graduate students were locked up in a room.

“After the teachers intervened, it was decided that both sides would apologize to each other and that the matter should end there. However, during the discussion, TMCP supporters (under-graduate students) demanded that the post-grad students would have to shout ‘TMC Zindabad’ and ‘Mamata Banerjee Zindabad’. When some female students objected, TMCP supporters tried to thrash them and even hit a female student. When I tried to stand by these students, they targeted me,” Chatterjee said.

The professor was allegedly pushed around and roughed up. Footage aired by a TV channel showed him sitting on the ground in front of the college entrance holding his head. Later, other students escorted him out.

The incident drew sharp criticism from the TMC’s opponents.

“Colleges and universities in Bengal have turned into hubs of lawlessness. The ruling party has no control over its students’ wing. In fact, it is due to lack of control on its students’ wing that the government is not conducting the student union elections since 2016,” said Pankaj Kumar Ray, principal of Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College and the convener of the intellectual cell of Bengal’s BJP unit.

“I am pained to say that the colleges in Bengal have turned into dens of anti-social elements. The administration needs to ensure exemplary punishment so that such offenses are not repeated,” said Shruti Nath Praharaj, general secretary of the Left wing West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association.

TMCP’s state unit president Trinankur Bhattacharya promised exemplary action on behalf of the organization.

“We condemn the act of roughing up a professor. We will conduct an inquiry. If anyone from our organization is involved, strong action will be taken,” Bhattacharya said.

Asked about the allegation that some students were pressured to shout ‘Mamata Banerjee Zindabad’, Bhattacharya said the party is against forcing any person to chant any slogan.