`Dupattas pulled, laptop smashed' ... Vidyasagar vandalised

SUBHANKAR CHOWDHURY AND SNEHAMOY CHAKRABORTY , TT, 16 May 2019, Calcutta: A group of BJP supporters tailing party president Amit Shah's decorated truck broke into Vidyasagar College and smashed an Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar bust that has been there for at least 20 years.

The bust was inside a glass case in the college's main office that houses an Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) and an administrative counter.

Speaking minutes after the attack that took place between 6.50pm and 7.05pm on Tuesday, principal Goutam Kundu described how a group broke open the gate, stormed the office and went for the glass case.

Kunal Dey, a third-year student of the college, said the attackers had covered their faces with "gamchhas" and handkerchiefs so that they could not be identified.

"As they stormed into the ground floor, they smashed the glass case," said Dey.

A guard of the college switched off power supply fearing flames from bikes set on fire would reach the wires.

Debasish Karmakar, who teaches zoology in City College, said BJP supporters had destroyed his laptop kept in his bag in front of a table near the bust.

Karmakar is the Calcutta University's nominee in Vidyasagar College's governing body.

Karmakar was shocked to see the incident unfold before his eyes and he, along with his wife professor Minakshi Majumder and two security personnel, took shelter in a corner of the campus to escape the violent attack.

"I had put my laptop bag on the table near Vidyasagar's bust and took shelter in a corner of the campus. When I returned, I found my laptop smashed. It was full of documents of both the colleges. Several election duty related papers in my bag were also found missing," Karmakar said.

"I saw a youth with a saffron pagri throwing something on the floor," he added.

Principal Kundu was on the college's main campus, off Bidhan Sarani, when the attack took place.

"I could not recognise the office when I stepped in. Broken shards of glass lay all over and Vidyasagar, our guiding light, was missing from where we were used to seeing him. We are shocked," he told Metro.

According to a college teacher, some of the classes were still being held when the attack took place.

"There were three lady teachers. They were cowering in fear inside classrooms when the group attacked the college," he said.

The college website mentions: "Aided by the zeal, aspiration and sacrifice, of Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, the College received affiliation of the University for imparting education up to graduation level in 1879 and for B.L. course in 1882.

"The myth of the European monopoly of Higher Education was shattered and replaced by the academic system devised, by an Oriental Pundit, completely Indic in nature, characteristics and purposes. After demise of the illustrious Founder (born on 26th September, 1820) on 29th July, 1891, the College was renamed Vidyasagar College in the year 1917. The Bidhan Sarani campus was earlier a hostel.

In 2000, the college turned the defunct hostel into the second campus.

Eyewitnesses said that the BJP supporters from the rally took away three motorbikes from the campus and set them afire. Stones were also hurled.

Some of the girl students alleged that the intruders tugged at their dupattas and even tried to touch them.

Swarnali Mitra, a thirdyear undergraduate student, said: "We were standing inside the main gate. The youths started jumping over the iron gate. A youth snatched my scarf. All the youths were shouting pro-BJP slogans and vandalised the bust of VidyasagarAbhisekh Mishra, a former student of the college, was hit on the head when some of the rallyists hurled stones into the college. "On hearing about the at- tack I came to the college. I was hit by a stone.

"I got stitches at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital," Mishra said.

The general secretary of the college union, Manirul Mondal, was also injured in the brick attack.

Learning about the attack, chief minister Mamata Banerjee reached the college at 9.30pm.

"The chief minister collected the broken pieces of the bust and then placed them inside the damaged glass case," said Manisankar Mandal, the state vice-president of the Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad.

At 9.45pm the chief minister addressed the press, standing on Bidhan Sarani.

"They have attacked Calcutta University with the help of goons brought from outside. Does Amit Shah have any idea about the stalwarts who have studied in the college? "Calcutta University is a place of pride. When we are observing the bicentenary celebrations of Vidyasagar's birth, they have broken the icon's bust," said the chief minister.

Later in the night, education minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamul's candidate from North Calcutta Sudip Bandyopadhyay held meetings with the teachers and the students' leaders till 10.30pm.

BJP leader Rahul Sinha said: "A few youths from the college attacked our rally without provocation. The bust was kept in the union room and it was broken by Trinamul and displayed in front of the office to frame charges against us. We demand a judicial probeFrom the Vidyasagar College the chief minister marched to Calcutta University. She left the university at 10pm..