Siliguri, Jan. 15: After yet another nomination day flare-up — this time at the Kalipada Ghosh Terai Mahavidyalaya, Bagdogra — the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has called a strike tomorrow in all the colleges and North Bengal University in Siliguri subdivision.

College elections have witnessed ugly clashes between members of rival political wings. Violence erupted today between the CPM-affiliated SFI and the Trinamul Congress’ youth wing, Trinamul Chhatra Parishad (TMCP).

Shankar Ghosh, SFI state vice-president, said: “We have called the strike to condemn the terror politics that the TMCP is trying to unleash in the region, which is manifested in the heinous act that took place today.”

Ghosh alleged that the Trinamul supporters beat up the SFI activists in the college today, the last date for withdrawing nominations.

The colleges, where examinations are in progress, however, will be exempt from the strike, Ghosh said.

The SFI vice-president said the TMCP, which has “no presence”, had resorted to violence to postpone the college polls.

The election, for 52 seats, is slated for January 20.

“The withdrawal of nominations went off peacefully. But when the college was closed for the day, they attacked us with bottles and stones, injuring four of our supporters. They wanted to intimidate our candidates and voters,” alleged Dibakar Roy, SFI state secretary.

“We demand immediate arrest of the law-breakers who do not want the election process to be completed peacefully,” he added.

The Trinamul union scoffed at the allegations and described the SFI strike-call as a “farce”. Madan Bhattacharya, TMCP’s north Bengal convener, said: “It is an SFI strategy to disrupt college elections because they know that this time round they will be unseated.”

Bhattacharya, in turn, accused the SFI supporters of assaulting a TMCP candidate and making him withdraw his nomination.

“They were the ones who hit our supporters with stones after college hours,” he alleged. “We protest against the strike call and condemn the terror-tactics SFI members have resorted to,” the TMCP leader added.

College authorities could not comment on the issue as the incident took place well after the working hours. “We have sought police help to ensure that the polls are peaceful,” a college official said.

Kalipada Ghosh Terai Mahavidyalaya is the last of the five colleges in the subdivision to go for polls. The last union was formed by the SFI, which had bagged 26 of the total 48 seats.

The Siliguri College of Commerce, which was recently in the news for violent inter-party clashes prior to the January 10 elections, had the Congress-affiliated Chhatra Parishad winning the elections by grabbing 31 of the 48 seats. The TMCP had won 13 seats in that election.