Chhatra Parishad supporters hand over the award to a officer in Kotwali police station of Jalpaiguri on Monday. Picture by Biplab Basak

Siliguri, Jan. 11: A box of sweets, a packet of glass bangles and flowers were today “awarded” to Jalpaiguri police for “beating up” Chhatra Parishad women supporters on Friday.

More than 20 supporters of the CP marched to Kotwali police station in Jalpaiguri, carrying the items, which also included a pair of sankha or conch bangles worn by married women, a diary and a pen. They searched for Rajib Bhattacharjee, the inspector-in-charge who was not present, and found Khush Mohammad Khan, a sub-inspector on duty. The girls handed over the gifts to him and walked out.

The district Youth Congress has threatened a general strike in Jalpaiguri town on January 18 in protest.

“We were indiscriminately beaten up by the police only for raising a blockade and protesting the unfairness in the election to the student union in Prasannadeb Women’s College on Friday,” said Sikha Saha, a Chhatra Parishad member of the institution who was at the police station with the gifts, today.

“They (the police) did not care for our rights or demands and went on beating us, injuring several of us. We are frustrated to see the partisan attitude of the police and the college authorities who were determined to make the SFI win. So, we awarded them appreciating their bravery for the attack on us,” she added.

On Friday, the police lathicharged CP supporters after they set up a blockade to stop the principal from entering the college. In the melee, SFI candidates managed to enter the institution and file nominations in all 70 seats. Since none of the CP candidates could file nominations on that day, the last day of filing the papers, the SFI is expected to win uncontested.

Sourav Chakraborty, the CP’s state president who was in Jalpaiguri today, said he had conveyed Friday’s incident to PCC chief and Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.

“He (Mukherjee) asked me to talk to state home secretary Ardhendu Sen. I approached him accordingly, giving the names of six police officers who had led the lathicharge on our supporters. It seems Sen does not have much confidence in the administration and the police. Instead of collecting information on his own, he has asked me to provide him with the points to substantiate my allegation. We will shortly submit him the report,” the CP leader said.

The Jalpaiguri district Youth Congress has decided to call a general strike on January 18 if the recommendations of the three-member committee, formed by the college authorities to investigate the alleged attack by SFI supporters on their women supporters go against them.

“If the committee proposes cancellation of the election since not a single CP candidate was given the chance to submit nomination, we will not go for any movement,” said Saikat Chatterjee, the Jalpaiguri district Youth Congress president.

The three-member committee is likely to submit its report to the principal tomorrow.