Several prominent student organisations — the Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Association (AISA), DISHA, and the Collective — came together today, Monday, February 3, to stage a protest at Banga Bhawan, the office of the Resident Commissioner of West Bengal in New Delhi.
The coalition demanded the immediate resignation of West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and called for the prompt conduct of long-overdue student elections across state-run universities in West Bengal.
Avijit Ghosh, State Committee Member of SFI Delhi and Vice-President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), told EdexLive, "We are demanding the immediate resignation of West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu. Under the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, there have been no campus elections in any of the state-run universities for almost 11 years. We are also demanding the timely conduct of student union elections at Jadavpur University and other campuses."
What happened?
The joint protest was triggered by a recent incident involving Minister Basu’s convoy during a student demonstration at Jadavpur University (JU).
Students had gathered to protest the delay in campus elections when a vehicle in the minister’s convoy allegedly accelerated through the crowd, injuring two students. One of them, Indranuj Roy, sustained severe injuries, including fractures and head trauma, and was later hospitalised.
Footage of the incident sparked outrage on social media, with many questioning how the education minister’s convoy could drive through protesting students without stopping to check on the injured. A video shared by a JU faculty member showed Roy lying motionless on the road while Basu’s vehicle sped away.
JU has been without student elections for over five years, and students have long accused the TMC-led state government of deliberately stalling the polls to suppress student movements.
As per reports, Basu was attending a West Bengal College & University Professors’ Association (WBCUPA) meeting at JU when students surrounded him, demanding immediate elections.
Clashes in West Bengal
Meanwhile, tensions escalated in West Bengal on Monday, March 3, as student wing organisations of Left parties clashed with Trinamool Congress supporters amid protests demanding Basu’s resignation.
The SFI declared a statewide student strike, calling for action against the minister. Reports indicated that many university campuses remained deserted as students observed the strike.
