Kolkata: Protests intensified on Kolkata streets on Tuesday against the violence in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, as students, celebrities and Left politicians matched steps. They also opposed the new citizenship law and a proposed nationwide NRC.
A large number of cultural personalities and literary figures joined a huge march convened by students of various colleges and universities from the academic hub College Square to the Tagore house in Jorasanko – the birthplace of polymath Rabindranath Tagore.
Film director Aneek Dutta, theatre personality Kaushik Sen, actors Ushoshi Chakraborty, Riddhi Sen, Chandan Sen, singer Rupankar Bagchi and poet Mandakranta Sen walked alongside thousands of students.
At the rare of the procession were CPI-M politburo members Mohammad Salim and Biman Bose. Some of the participants wore masks in a token protest against the masked attackers in JNU.
“The RSS-BJP are now scared, the Modi government is scared now. So they now seem hassled,” said Kaushik Sen.
Said Riddhi Sen: “We want an answer for the violence perpetrated on JNU students. Our weapon against every blow of iron rod on (JNUSU President) Aishe Ghosh is rationalism and logical reasoning.”
Aneek Duttta said students are the future, and when they come under attack, one cannot but protest.
Students of Jadavpur University and some other educational institutions took out a protest march from South Kolkata’s Hazra to Central government Office complex Nizam Palace.
With a minivan wrapped in a banner reading “We won’t show you any papers” in the vanguard, the students sang, strummed guitars, and shouted slogans against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register, while decrying the vandalism in JNU.
“The student community and academicians across the country are speaking out against the anti-constitution CAA. The Hindu right wing forces BJP, RSS and ABVP are assaulting the student community and ruining the academic atmosphere.
“Students everywhere are agitated against the right wing forces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi (Adityanath) will have to answer for the vandalism and attacks,” said a rallyist.
Students of Aliah university carrying the tricolour marched from their campus to Ramlila Maidan condemning the violence at JNU. The university teachers also joined in.
Aishe Ghosh’s mother Sharmishtha held aloft the red flag as she took part in a procession brought out by the CPI-M against JNU mayhem in Durgapur Thermal Power colony of West Burdwan district.
Violence swept JNU on Sunday as several masked individuals, both male and female, thrashed students, including girls, and teachers inside the varsity campus with wooden and metal rods.
Two officer-bearers of the Jawaharal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU), including President Aishe Ghosh – who was reportedly hit over the eye with an iron rod, received serious injuries. They blamed the RSS’ student wing ABVP for the violence in the campus.
Hostel rooms and lobbies were vandalised during the assault while several vehicles parked on the roads were damaged by the unidentified miscreants.
The situation turned violent after masked goons attacked a peace march by teachers and students against the violence on the campus.
