|
|
A deserted Raiganj College on Monday. Picture by Nantu Dey
|
Raiganj, Jan. 9: A professor with Trinamul links today took charge of Raiganj University College where party supporters had beaten up the former principal on Thursday, prompting the Congress to cry that the new head would be biased in his functioning.
Few students, it seems, were aware that the college reopened today. Even those who arrived kept away from the campus despite the police deployment. “We live nearby, so we had come to see what was going on. We didn’t know the college would open today,” said a student.
The Congress alleged that Shatrughan Singh, who teaches English, was an active member of Trinamul and doubted if he would function in a partisan manner.
“We were shocked that a worker of the party that organised attacks on the former teacher in charge was appointed as the TIC. Shatrughan Singh is an active Trinamul worker. We seriously doubt if he will be unbiased. In November, he had contested as a Trinamul candidate in the elections to the managing committee of Raiganj Coronation High School,” said Sandip Biswas, the general secretary of North Dinajpur district Congress committee, today.
 |
| Shatrughan Singh, the new teacher-in-charge, in Raiganj University College on Monday. Picture by Nantu Dey |
Biswas said Singh’s selection was part of a Trinamul gameplan, “similar to the one where the police framed lighter and bailable charges against its workers accused of beating up principal Dilip Dey Sarkar”.
A Congress leader is also among the 11 arrested after the assault on Raiganj College principal Dey Sarkar. Congress leader Tushar Kanti Guha is out on bail like his Trinamul counterparts.
Singh admitted that he had contested the school election on Trinamul ticket but said he would act impartially while functioning as the college head. “I had contested as a Trinamul candidate in my son’s school on a request from Trinamul leaders. But while sitting in the TIC’s chair, I will be impartial.”
Yesterday, the North Bengal University vice-chancellor Arunabha Basumajumdar had said Singh was selected for the post after three senior teachers of the college had refused to take charge. Dey Sarkar had resigned from his post after the attack on him on Thursday.
The Congress today submitted a memorandum to the inspector general of police of north Bengal, Sanjoy Singh, alleging that North Dinajpur police chief Dipankar Bhattacharya had purposefully framed bailable charges against the Trinamul workers who had beaten up Dey Sarkar on Thursday.
Congress MLA Mohit Sengupta said the party had cited in the memorandum the example of Nadia, where three SFI members were charged under non-bailable sections for a similar offence. Asked about Congress leader Guha who had also been accused in the principal assault case, Sengupta said: “He was framed.”
Subho Saha, a student who lives in Collegepara, said: “My home is a few yards away from the college. I just came and found the college open. But I don’t want to enter. What if there is another fight?”
Around 15 policemen were posted outside the gates. “On Thursday too, there were policemen around. What good did it serve?” asked Subho.
Former teacher in charge Dey Sarkar arrived around 10pm. Singh reached at 1pm and assumed charge.
The teachers have urged the police to set up a temporary police camp till the student union elections, which have been put on hold. The polls were supposed to be conducted on January 16.
“The vice-chancellor of NBU will visit the college tomorrow. Right now, it is not possible for us to say when the elections would be held and whether the entire process, like issuing nominations forms, would be repeated or not,” a senior teacher said.
|
