Saptarshi Deb

Hiya Mukherjee

Calcutta, March 19: An internal probe by the SFI has confirmed the “involvement” of the federation’s activists in the clashes that rocked Presidency College following 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 SFI members to refrain from such “violent” acts in future.

“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 SFI state committee.

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

Presidency College and Hindu Hostel, located right next to it, witnessed a series of clashes between SFI and Independents’ Consolidation (IC) supporters after the students’ body elections in which the SFI lost to IC fifth time on the trot.

The prominent presence of CPM’s GenX — Hiya, the daughter of minister Manab Mukherjee, and Saptarshi, the son of minister Goutam Deb — in the SFI ranks had made it a prestige fight for both the camps.

Although 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. There were also allegations that Saptarshi and Hiya were in the forefront of the face-off.

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