FIR lodged against Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu in Jadavpur University violence
Kolkata/IBNS: The Kolkata Police Thursday registered an FIR against West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu, his driver, and Professor Om Prakash Mishra on Thursday in connection with the violence at Jadavpur University on March 1.
The FIR was lodged a day after the Calcutta High Court directed the State Government to consider the version of students of Jadavpur University, who were caught in a scuffle with Basu.
“All the complaints are one-sided and from one perspective, the State has to behave like a State,” Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had said objecting stating that all FIRs registered so far did not consider the students' version.
The FIR has been drawn on the statement made by Indranuj Roy, a 22-year-old student of the university who was allegedly hit by the Minister’s vehicle.
The student was administered 14 stitches in his eye.
Prior to the complaint against Basu, there were seven FIRs in which the students were booked as accused.
One alumnus of the university was arrested for the vandalism.
What happened on the Jadavpur University campus?
A standoff erupted at Jadavpur University on March 1 as student activists from CPI(M)-affiliated SFI and the Naxalite AISA staged a protest demanding the immediate announcement of student union election dates, media reports said.
The demonstrators ‘gheraoed’ West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and damaged the windscreen of his vehicle.
#WestBengal minister Bratya Basu's visit to Kolkata's Jadavpur University sparks violent agitation as students demand declaration of election date; Minister’s car allegedly hits protester. #JU #JadavpurUniversity #BratyaBasu #TMC #Kolkata #SFI #StudentsPolitics pic.twitter.com/Bx0hnXM8Lt
— India Blooms (@indiablooms) March 1, 2025
Basu, a prominent face in Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress government, had visited Jadavpur University to attend a meeting convened by the TMC University Teachers' Association.
The protest began before Basu’s arrival, with students raising slogans and airing their grievances.
As officials from the West Bengal College and University Professors' Association (WBCUPA) attempted to disperse them, tensions escalated into a physical confrontation, according to the report.
The situation worsened when students blocked the minister’s car, deflated its tyres, and prevented him from leaving.
The report quoted eyewitnesses as saying that protesters vandalised the vehicle, smashing its bonnet and windows. They also placed shoes on the car and scrawled the word 'broker' on its surface.
