Kolkata:
A student leader of the Trinamool Congress has virtually issued a fatwa against anyone supporting the CPM in Bengal's colleges. It is a fatwa that the party leadership has not opposed as yet. Shanku Panda, the president of the Trinamool Chatra Parishad, yesterday told a meeting at Bhangar near Kolkata that teachers could support CPM, but at their own risk. "You are a teacher and do CPM politics, then we will fight you to the end. We will not yield an inch to you," Mr Panda had said. His statement has been condemned by the CPM and a large section of civil society.
Mr Panda's statement came three days after an angry exchange between Trinamool leader Arabul Islam and a section of teachers of Bhangar Mahavidyalay. During the exchange, Arabul Islam, who is the president of the college's governing body, is reported to have hurled a jug of water at a woman lecturer and injured her. Debjani Dey, the injured teacher, did not file an FIR because she was afraid to do so. Some teachers said how could they file an FIR against the president of the governing body of their own college.
Arabul Islam, however, claimed Debjani Dey had not suffered any injury. He claimed she was a hardcore CPM supporter and had wagged her finger at him during the angry exchange. He also claimed that he was unhappy with the teachers' attendance at college.
However, sources in the college say the real issue is upcoming elections to the West Bengal College and University Teachers' Association (WBCUTA). The system for this election is, each college selects representatives who will vote for the WBCUTA candidates. The Bhangar college teachers had selected their representatives but Arabul Islam was unhappy with that selection. He wanted different representatives. The teachers were actually discussing this is the staff room when Islam barged in with a number of outsiders, allegedly abused the teachers present there and hurled the jug in rage at them.
Arabul Islam also, apparently, incited the students. Coincidentally, Islam's son is a student at the Bhangar college. Two days after the incident, students plastered the college walls with posters condemning the teachers of the college for the face-off with Arabul Islam. And yesterday, the Trinamool Chatra Parishad held a protest march in the area, culminating in Shanku Panda's speech warning teachers not to support the CPM.
The Bhangar College incident comes after Trinamool supporters attacked the headmaster of a school in Jadavpur in Kolkata in December last year and the principal of a college in Raigunj in January.
Mr Panda's statement came three days after an angry exchange between Trinamool leader Arabul Islam and a section of teachers of Bhangar Mahavidyalay. During the exchange, Arabul Islam, who is the president of the college's governing body, is reported to have hurled a jug of water at a woman lecturer and injured her. Debjani Dey, the injured teacher, did not file an FIR because she was afraid to do so. Some teachers said how could they file an FIR against the president of the governing body of their own college.
Arabul Islam, however, claimed Debjani Dey had not suffered any injury. He claimed she was a hardcore CPM supporter and had wagged her finger at him during the angry exchange. He also claimed that he was unhappy with the teachers' attendance at college.
However, sources in the college say the real issue is upcoming elections to the West Bengal College and University Teachers' Association (WBCUTA). The system for this election is, each college selects representatives who will vote for the WBCUTA candidates. The Bhangar college teachers had selected their representatives but Arabul Islam was unhappy with that selection. He wanted different representatives. The teachers were actually discussing this is the staff room when Islam barged in with a number of outsiders, allegedly abused the teachers present there and hurled the jug in rage at them.
Arabul Islam also, apparently, incited the students. Coincidentally, Islam's son is a student at the Bhangar college. Two days after the incident, students plastered the college walls with posters condemning the teachers of the college for the face-off with Arabul Islam. And yesterday, the Trinamool Chatra Parishad held a protest march in the area, culminating in Shanku Panda's speech warning teachers not to support the CPM.
The Bhangar College incident comes after Trinamool supporters attacked the headmaster of a school in Jadavpur in Kolkata in December last year and the principal of a college in Raigunj in January.
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