Students ‘vandalise’ law college

Kolkata: A premiere government-run law college in south Kolkata was allegedly vandalised by a group of its students belonging to the Trinamul Congress’ students’ wing on Friday prompting state education minister Partha Chatterjee to intervene.

Claiming collection of exorbitant fees the students of Trinamul Chhatra Parishad ransacked the notice board at South Kolkata Law College on Swinhoe Street in Gariahat and also attacked the office of the college principal Debasis Chattopadhyay.

The CCTV set in front of Mr Chattopadhyay’s office was damaged along with his nameplate on the entrance and a window of his office. The angry law students were seen carrying the flags of the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad.

According to them, the principal used to threat them of expulsion taking the name of the education minister whenever they met him to know why the fees were higher than other law colleges in the city.

The college authorities however reasoned that the attack was the outcome of a rift over the control and share of funds between the factions within the students’ wing of the ruling party for the past one year. In 2016 Apan Saha, a student, was elected as the general secretary of Trinamul-ruled students’ union. His rival group however brought no confidence in him and fielded Satyaki Dutta as Apan’s replacement which the college authorities approved also.

After Satyaki became the new general secretary, the college authorities were asked to pay around Rs 2.26 lakhs for Freshers’ Welcome programme, sources revealed adding that the amount was finally settled to around Rs 1.60 lakhs.

Furious over the vandalism by the members of the ruling party’s students’ union Mr Chatterjee called up the college principal. “I have directed him to lodge a complaint with the police so that the accused students be arrested.,” he said.

Mr Chatterjee added, “Under no circumstances hooliganism and damage of college properties by the members of the ruling party’s student wing with party flags will be tolerated. The students’ union will be dissolved there if needed.”

He informed that he also asked Trinamul Chhatra Parishad president Jaya Dutta to look into the incident.