Hiya Mukherjee

Saptarshi Deb

An internal probe by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has confirmed “involvement” of the organisation’s activists in the clashes that rocked Presidency College followed last week’s campus poll.

Acting on the report, the state leadership of the CPM’s student wing has reprimanded its Presidency College unit and advised the members to refrain from such “violent” acts in future.

The prominent presence of CPM’s GenX — Hiya, daughter of minister Manab Mukherjee, and Saptarshi, son of minister Goutam Deb — in the SFI ranks had made it a prestige fight against the Independents’ Consolidation (IC). There were allegations that Hiya and Saptarshi were in the forefront of the face-off.

“The inquiry is still on and we are expecting the final report to be ready by the end of this month. But the preliminary findings suggest that some SFI members had behaved in an unruly manner during the clashes,” said Apurba Chatterjee, the general secretary of the SFI state committee.

The committee will decide on “action” against its guilty members after the final report is ready, Chatterjee added.

Presidency College and Hindu Hostel witnessed a series of clashes between SFI and IC supporters after the students’ body elections in which the CPM wing lost for a fifth time on the trot.

Though SFI improved on its performance with a tally of 35, it failed to win a single seat in the elections for 10 office bearers of the union.

“There was provocation from IC, but some of our members overreacted,” said an SFI leader, explaining the reason behind the rare “censure” of Presidency College’s SFI unit.

A prominent SFI leader of the college unit was found pelting stones at IC supporters during the fracas.

“No one will be spared… Everyone’s role will be examined,” said the SFI leader.