Govt pressure on Presidency

OUR BUREAU

Calcutta, April 11: Trinamul ministers today tried to browbeat Presidency University authorities, asking why they had publicly blamed party supporters for yesterday's widely condemned campus vandalism.

Ministers Partha Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee and Bratya Basu criticised the attack but their other comments reflected a strategy for a counter-offensive.

"An inquiry is on.... What is the point in concluding our party supporters were involved?" industries minister Chatterjee told reporters.

Presidency vice-chancellor Malabika Sarkar and registrar Prabir Dasgupta had yesterday said some of the attackers carried Trinamul flags. The comments embarrassed Trinamul especially because of Mamata Banerjee's avowed project of turning Presidency into a centre of excellence.

Governor M.K. Narayanan added his own condemnation: "Those who have ransacked Presidency University should be treated as criminals."

Chatterjee said: "I'm surprised the vice-chancellor and registrar spoke to the media before going to the chancellor (the governor). Courtesy demands they should have spoken to the chancellor first."

Dasgupta told The Telegraph the authorities did not call the media; they came on their own. "We know the rule… The VC first informed the chancellor."

Sarkar's morning remark about taking part in a silent protest march — which over 1,000 people, including students, teachers and alumni, held this afternoon — gave Trinamul another handle to attack her. "I have never seen any vice-chancellor joining students in any protest," panchayat minister Mukherjee said at Writers'.

When the march started around 2pm, Sarkar did not take part but Dasgupta did. Sarkar said she was busy with teacher selection but campus sources said the Trinamul reaction had deterred her.

The impact of the ministers' comments was evident in Sarkar's remarks in the evening at a joint news conference with education minister Basu on the campus.

"I repeat what I had said yesterday: I saw people entering the campus with Trinamul flags," Sarkar said. "But there is no proof they were Trinamul supporters. I wonder why Trinamul supporters would attack our institution as it is the Trinamul government that is helping us turn Presidency into a centre of excellence."

Earlier in the day, Sarkar had told ABP Ananda she had written to the governor describing yesterday's incident and Trinamul supporters' role.

The human rights commission today asked the police commissioner for a report within two weeks. The commission will conduct its own probe headed by former Presidency College principal Amal Mukherjee.

Police have arrested two students over the vandalism: Howrah resident Shubhojit Barman, 21, and South 24-Parganas resident Jayanta Howalder, 24.

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