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Campus violence being instigated by political leaders: Buddhadeb

KOLKATA: Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday spoke out against the “unprecedented” violence being witnessed on campuses of educational institutions across the State.

“We want to put an immediate end to such incidents,” he asserted at a rally in the State's North 24 Parganas district.

Last week, Governor M.K. Narayanan had said that “history will not forgive us if we condone the violence being unleashed within and outside the universities and in schools” in the State.

Referring to the death of Swapan Koley, a student of Prabhu Jagatbandhu College in Andul, Howrah district who was killed when he went to file his nomination papers for a college election on December 16, Mr. Bhattacharjee asked, “who are these people who created the trouble?”

In another incident, a student of a city college was assaulted in violence that broke out on the same day. His eye was severely damaged.

Pointing out that the situation in the education system is a reflection of what is happening elsewhere in the State, Mr. Bhattacharjee said that violence centred around elections in colleges was unprecedented.

“Where did this come from? The violence we are seeing now is being instigated by senior leaders of political parties who are freely walking into campuses,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.

Earlier in the day, at a function of the All Bengal Teachers' Association (ABTA) here Mr. Bhattacharjee said that an unruly force has raised its head and must be defeated. That he was referring to the Trinamool Congress was obvious. “When an unruly force gains ground it leaves its impact on the education system as well,” he said, urging students to protest against the rampant violence.

He said many teachers have been killed in the Jangalmahal region in the last few months.

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Campus violence being instigated by political leaders: Buddhadeb

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