Demanding immediate holding of students' union elections, members of CPI(M) students wing SFI demonstrated in the Jadavpur University campus here on Saturday and gheraoed Education minister Bratya Basu who went there to attend the annual general meeting of West Bengal College and University Professors Association.
Basu, who tried to speak to the agitating students and received their memorandum, was gheraoed by the protestors and his security personnel had a trying time to escort him to his vehicle.
The windscreen of his car was damaged by the protesting students.
Basu was later taken to SSKM Hospital as he felt uneasiness during the gherao but his condition was stated to be stable.
Basu, who is also the president of WBCUPA, said the real undemocratic, unruly self of the left student's outfit was exposed by their protests as they shouted slogans against the members of the teaching community.
"Today those who had protested against saffronisation of the country, those who made tall claims about fighting for democracy, fighting against fascism, today joined hands with fascist forces to demonstrate against me and members of the teaching community just because we did not succumb to their pressure tactics, their intimidatory tactics," Basu said.
He said to a question, "Ram and Bam (left and right) have joined hands to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere on the campus. They manhandled one of our members." As Basu's car left the spot, many students were seen chasing it paying no heed to the request of JU faculty members who asked them to desist.
Denouncing the protest by SFI students, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said a section of students misbehaved with one professor Pradipta Mukhopadhyay.
"Those who heckled him will be sternly dealt with. The ruling party's courtesy should not be misconstrued as weakness. Any act of uncivilised behaviour should be dealt with in an appropriate manner," he said.
Ghosh posted on X, "Remember the atrocities they committed in Jadavpur. Identify them. The Education Minister and the Trinamool-supporting professors have shown restraint. But those who committed the attacks and chaos need a proper democratic response. Identify them."
Chants of 'chor-chor' (thief) and 'go back' echoed through the crowd when Basu was leaving the university
Police earlier managed to bring Basu inside the campus through another gate as the main gate was blocked by protestors.
Students of the left-wing student organisation SFI, blocked the road at Jadavpur 8B intersection.
"When SFI students went to submit a deputation to the Education Minister, they were severely injured by Trinamul-backed miscreants and have been admitted to KPC for now," SFI said in an emergency press meet.
SFI leader Kaushiki Bhattacharya said the students only wanted to have a discussion with Basu with the sole demand to conduct students union polls at the earliest.
"We did not resort to violence. It is the TMC outsiders who joined some of their sympathisers on the campus to attack our activists and use abusive language against us," she said.
"The CM said khela hobe (the game will be played) in four phases. Is the JU incident the first phase? Did the minister visit the campus for a political event to provoke? People of Bengal can see the consequence of outsiders entering campuses. The state education minister is so callous towards students, so irresponsible he had to drive the vehicle over the students?" said CPM leader and JU alumni Sujan Chakraborty.
After Basu's car left, a section of students tore festoons, and banners put up for the WBCUPA AGM and heckled senior faculty members like Omprakash Mishra.
Initial reports suggest that two professors were injured.
They also vandalised the room of the TMC teachers' wing cell alleging one of their colleagues was injured when his foot was run over by a car, the protesting students alleged.
