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Siliguri, Jan. 6: A student of Siliguri Women’s College was injured after she was allegedly “strangulated and beaten up” by two SFI members today.
Kanika Dey, a BA second-year student and a candidate of the Progressive Students’ Union (PSU), the RSP’s student wing, had come to college to collect the nomination form for the college election scheduled for January 15.
“The distribution of nomination forms began after 11am. I collected the form and was coming out when two SFI supporters — Nilima Gupta, a third-year student, and Shayanti Dey, an ex-student — tried to strangulate me by pulling my dupatta (which was wrapped around the neck) from both the ends. They beat me up and hit me on the right abdomen. I am also hurt in the left leg as one of them hit me with a stick,” Kanika said in the emergency ward of Siliguri District Hospital where she was taken by her friends.
Aparna Saha, another PSU candidate who brought Kanika to the hospital, said although the doctor asked Kanika to get admitted, she refused because of problems at home. The PSU has lodged an FIR against Shayanti and Nilima.
This is the second time that the college is holding election to its 18 seats, with the PSU and the SFI in the fray, after the first was held last year. Till then, the SFI had run the college union uncontested. This year, the notification for the election had been issued on December 29. The dates for submission of nomination forms are slated for January 8 and 9.
The PSU alleged that the principal had allowed Shayanti, an ex-student and the general-secretary of the student union, to interfere in the poll process. The party also demanded dissolution of the union.
“The principal instead of dissolving the union is allowing Shayanti and a few other SFI supporters to interfere in the college elections. Shayanti passed out from the college last year,” said Satarupa Ghosh, the Darjeeling district secretary of the PSU.
Both the SFI and the principal have denied the allegations. “I come to the college in the capacity of the general secretary. All the allegations against me are baseless,” Shayanti said.
Citing a North Bengal University regulation, principal Ruma Sengupta Bhowmik said according to the norm, the union did not get dissolved after the notification but its power was transferred to the next committee after the election. “I have allowed Shayanti in the college as she is the current general-secretary as the office-bearers retain their posts till the election. I have not received any complaint about today’s incident.”
