West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan on Friday apologised to the students of the Presidency University, saying he had failed them. He was speaking on the university campus, which was vandalised by alleged TMC workers in retaliation to SFI activists’ heckling of Mamata Banerjee and her ministers here on April 9.
“I apologise to all for what has happened. It should never happen again. It is a blot on the centre of excellence... I understand we have failed you... I accept that I have not been able to fulfil my responsibilities... There are others who are equally responsible,” said Narayanan. The TMC workers ransacked the historic 100 year-old Baker Laboratory at the Presidency University on Wednesday and thrashed students.
Baker Lab has been home to some of India’s brightest minds, including Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha and P C Mohalanobis. Women students alleged that the goons had threatened to rape
them during the 30-minute long rampage.
“I want to assure the students that this will never happen again. You, especially the girl students, are here to build your future, not to fend off goons. I am sorry this happened,” said Narayanan, who is also the Chancellor of the university.
The West Bengal Chief Minister, who is ‘recuperating’ at a Kolkata nursing home, is yet to break her silence on the incident. Sources pointed out that she might have contacted the university’s Vice-Chancellor Malabika Sarkar and extended all support.
“Presidency University is a dream project for us. What happened here must have been traumatic for you all. I want to use the term ‘criminals’ to describe the men who barged into the campus. The threat to molest girls was unfortunate,” said Narayanan.