Kolkata: A convention organised by Left-backed student groups at Jadavpur University on Monday triggered a controversy, with the ABVP protesting the alleged presence of political figures from outside the university and questioning whether the programme had received administrative permission.
The organisers said the ABVP has no right to talk about the "outsiders" as several leaders of the RSS-affiliated student group who had barged onto the campus in August during unrest were not associated with JU.
The convention, titled "Gen Z Movement: Unity of Generation and Resistance", was organised at the university's K P Basu Memorial Hall to discuss demands including scrapping the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts national-level entrance tests for higher education institutes, besides opposing the SIR of electoral rolls and the proposed ISI Bill.
Among those addressed at the convention were AISA national president Neha Bora, SFI leader Srijan Bhattacharya and Blossom Hazarika, president of the students' union at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) which also witnessed violence between students and Right-wing groups.
The programme was embroiled in controversy after Jadavpur University officiating Registrar Debjit Dutta claimed to have written to Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya, stating that his office did not grant formal permission for the event.
Dutta said, "I first came to know about the convention through the media on Sunday. No file or communication regarding the programme had reached my office."
He also alleged that the permission letter had been issued after bypassing the Registrar's office and obtaining the signature of a joint registrar.
The development prompted the ABVP's Jadavpur University unit to raise objections over the participation of outsiders in the programme.
"They can hold their programme, and we have no objection to that. But there is no legal permission to organise a programme on the campus by bringing political personalities from outside. There are specific circulars of the university and strict orders of the Calcutta High Court on this issue," ABVP Jadavpur University unit president Nikhil Das said.
The ABVP said it would seek an explanation from the university authorities over the programme and the alleged entry of outside political figures into the campus.
Responding to the allegations, an SFI functionary said the programme went off smoothly.
"The ABVP has no right to talk about the presence of outsiders. They should keep in mind that several ABVP functionaries who had barged into the campus in the last week of August were not associated with JU."
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
