Kolkata: After the Left rout in the elections, clashes between CPM and Trinamool workers have become common in West Bengal. But on Wednesday for teh first time clashes in kolkata with students unions affiliated to either side battling on the streets.
For the first time, Kolkata had a taste of post-poll violence with rival student unions clashing at St Paul's College on Amherst Street in the heart of the city.
The clash was ostensibly over admission forms but in fact CPM's student front, SFI, clashed with the students' union of the Progressive Indira Congress, which is an ally of the Trinamool Congress.
Several students have been arrested. Many were injured in the bomb throwing and police lathicharge.
In the past one week, clashes have taken place in Haripal in Hubli, Berhampur in Murshidabad and Barasat in North 24 Parganas.
Brickbats and fisticuffs were not enough so bombs were lobbied in the clash between the SFI student's wing backed by the CPM and the Progressive Indira Congress during the admission of the freshers at St Paul's College on Amherst Street.
Now both wings accuse each other for the outbreak of violence that led to the police resorting to a lathicharge.
"SFI hooligans threw bombs at us. They caused head injuries, beat up and skinned students. Even I as State Secretary of the Pragateeshil Indira Congress was not spared," said Progressive Indira Congress Student's Union state secretary Tomagno Ghosh.
"Bombs stones and bricks that's what they threw at us. The police lathicharged hurting many of us," said SFI supporter Rahul Singh.
But the seed of trouble, heartburn amongst the students wing of the SFI seeing control over college politics, slip away after the debacle of the CPM in the recent Lok Sabha polls and the upbeat mood of the student wing of the Progressive Indira Congress, an ally of the Trinamool Congress, winning five seats in the college elections after a gap of 15 years.
"We never force them to join our party or our group but we just help them and guide them. But this was not liked by the SFI, not liked by the CPM so they started protesting and all these things happened," said Priyal Choudhary, president, Central Kolkata district, Progressive Indira Congress.
The fight for the allegiance of freshers to its students wing has already caused clashes in three colleges across the state. It is clear that the Governor's appeal for political parties to practice democracy is one that even the student's wings need to apply.