Kolkata:
West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan today apologised to the students of Presidency University in Kolkata for the vandalism on Wednesday. Visiting the University, he told the students that he had failed them as a Governor and Chancellor, but others share blame for the violence.
Here are the highlights of what he said:- I apologise to students of all universities of Kolkata and Bengal for what has happened
- Unprecedented...should never have happened...is a blot on our hopes for the future and our ambitions to make this a centre of excellence
- Am not here with readymade answers or immediate solutions
- You are the most elite and outstanding group of students
- What happened was an attempt to prevent you from reaching for the stars
- Accept that as Governor and Chancellor, I have failed in my responsibility to you
- Chief Minister has said she is devastated because this was a dream project for you
- Those in Baker Lab must be traumatised by what happened
- Till recently, we believed Bengal was safest place for girls and women
- I don't know what happened to that culture
- I am not here to put blame on political parties or point out the reason. All I know is that this should not have happened
- I have come here because the presence of a Chancellor could provide some solace
- I know most of you must be traumatised - you came here to study
- I apologise once again for what has happened
- Let us investigate into what has happened. The chief minister herself has said this is a dream project of hers
- It is inexplicable that they should have carried out an attack, some arrests have been made
- You have come here to study not fend off goons from across the street
- I would like to work with the police to ensure this doesn't occur again - it goes beyond the constitutional responsibilities of a Governor
- But I owe it to you having been an admirer of Presidency College and the student community in Bengal
- Politics in the country has become much coarser over the years. There has been a tendency to slide back as far as political elements are concerned and this unwillingness to acknowledge the truth is one of the major fault lines
- Urge students to stand up. In what you do in the face of such a situation lies the hope of an entire country
- Think a situation has risen in West Bengal between educational institutions that policemen will not be allowed inside college premises
- This in a way is result of an excess of liberalisation
- Even in cases of gheraos of teachers and other protests there is a hesitation in bringing in the police
- Think we need a new set of laws and instructions - that I will take up with the state government
- You have an outstanding vice-chancellor. I have some role in appointing her, so I know her qualities and capability well
- Across the world today, attacking the persona of a person has become the norm
- You are always under attack for not what you have done but for what some else wants to say you have done
- The point that you made about women's safety is not just engaging Kolkata but the entire country
- This is not the India that we had even 15-20 years ago
- The debate to my mind is not going the right way - we are always finding
- Why can't you walk at 1 am on any street? This is our country
- We need much more of the citizenry coming into this... I recognise the pain, I recognise the concern
- If you are not safe, I as a Governor would have failed in my duty
- I hope by the time I finish, I would have been able to give you an answer
- Even the worst policemen on the street is a bulwark against vandalism