KOLKATA: Governor Jagdeep Dhankar on Friday refuted the allegation of Trinamool Congress that had visited the Jadavpur University campus, where Union minister Babul Supriyo was roughed up and kept confined for over four hours on Thursday, without informing the state government and issued a strong statement.
In a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan on Friday, it was said Dhankar’s visit was rendered imperative as the vice-chancellor and pro-vice chancellor had left the university while Supriyo continued to be detained by the students. "In his capacity as Chancellor, being guardian of the students, he took the call so as to connect with the students in the interest of education and institution," the statement said.
Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee on Thursday alleged the Governor had not informed the state administration before going to the university and had rejected chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s request to give her government time to sort out the issue peacefully. He also described Dhankar visit "most unfortunate".
"This is most unfortunate and shocking that our Governor, the custodian of the Constitution of the state, without informing the elected government went to the so-called rescue of the BJP leader from the Jadavpur University," Chatterjee said in a statement.
Reacting to Chatterjee’s allegation, the statement from the Governor’s office said, "Before his visit to the university, the Governor and chancellor, exhausted all possible avenues that could bring an end to the unsavoury spectacle by flagging the issue to the DGP and the Chief Secretary. As a final step before going, the Governor/chancellor took initiative in connecting with the Hon’ble Chief Minister, West Bengal, and duly apprised her of the grave situation and the consequences it may entail. There were many telephonic interactions between the two and in his high regard that the Governor/chancellor has for the Hon’ble CM, personally and for the Office the CM holds, he would not like to divulge the conversation between the two, except that he left for the place after sufficient time had elapsed and the situation did not show any change.’’
"It is unfortunate that the Secretary-General of the All India Trinamool Congress, through a press release yesterday, has stated that the Governor did not inform the Government and has not taken the State Govt into confidence before making a visit. Obviously he did not know of the developments that took place between the Governor and the DGP/CS as also the conversation with the Hon’ble chief minister," the statement said.
The issue over the incident in Jadavpur, in which Supriyo was allegedly heckled, shoved and pulled by his hair by a section of Left lenient students after he arrived the university to attend a programme organised by the students’ wing of the RSS, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), went far beyond the confines of the university on Friday . BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh wrote a letter to the Union home minister Amit Shah. The BJP and the ABVP took out two processions in the city. The CPM’s student-arm SFI, too, took out a procession in protest against AVBP supporters’ rampage inside the university campus on Thursday night.
Both the SFI and Agnimitra Paul, the fashion designer who joined the BJP recently, lodged complaints with Jadavpur police station on Friday. Paul was also not allowed to enter the campus when turned up there to attend an event organised by the ABVP.