Kolkata's precious Jadavpur University was paralysed for a third day on Friday as students stood their ground and demanded vice chancellor Abhijit Chakrabartito's resignation for calling in the police on Tuesday to break up a student protest.
The students also slammed Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayasta who, along with his force, had entered the university at around 2 am on Tuesday night and allegedly dragged the students out and manhandled them. The police had come to rescue the vice chancellor from a student's 'gherao'.
Denying the charges levelled by the students, Mr Puakayasta said, "The police had shown extreme restraint and whatever the police did was as per law. The VC had written to us requesting that we rescue him."
"We heard reports of outsiders in the area, some with dangerous weapons," he added.
The students, however, said the police was not telling the truth. "Obviously he is lying...Your footage shows he is lying," said Rwiti, a student representative of the university.
Another student Shounak Mukhopadhyay said, "This is a very good example of how undemocratic and authoritarian our VC is."
On Thursday, state education minister Partha Chatterjee had also defended the actions of the police. "What police did was according to law and there was no lathicharge," Mr Chatterjee had said.
Students were also upset at a comment made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a Kolkata police function. Citing the incident, Ms Banerjee had said, "Nowadays, a small incident happens and a molehill is turned into a mountain."
A student, Aromita, said, "We were beaten and molested. Some of our students are injured and are admitted in hospital. If she thinks that this is a small incident, I cannot comment on that. I am really disappointed in our chief minister."
"I am not surprised at her comment," said Sudhanya, another student. "She said the same thing about the Park Street rape, the Kamduni incident, about Tanya Bharadwaj."
The Governor, who is also the chancellor of Jadavpur University, has sought a report on the incident from the home secretary. He had also called the police commissioner for a meeting on Friday evening.
The students of the university will hold a mega rally in Kolkata on Saturday and will also meet with the Governor at 5 pm.