Students in Politics

Principal falls to gherao
- 12-hour protest by Trinamul union triggers cardiac trouble
A STAFF REPORTER
The principal of Sri Chaitanya College in Habra in North 24-Parganas collapsed after being held hostage by Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad supporters for over 12 hours.

Indramahal Mondal, 52, who suffers from a cardiac condition, was admitted to the intensive cardiac care unit of a local nursing home late on Thursday.

Mondal was hounded by the politically-backed group following the West Bengal State University’s refusal to issue registration certificates to nearly 52 students of the affiliated college.

Sri Chaitanya College had rejected their registration after the Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad had forced the authorities to admit around 52 students more than the limit prescribed by the university.

Mondal had opposed the move to admit these students on the grounds that they would be denied registration certificates and not allowed to appear in the Part-I exams.

“The students had compelled the principal to admit the additional students and once they were refused the registration certificates, they launched an agitation,” said Ranajit Basu, the president of the governing body of the college and the chairman of the West Bengal School Service Commission.

The union-backed students started a hunger strike on campus four days ago demanding that they be allowed to write the Part-I exam.

On Thursday, they began a gherao of the principal as soon as he arrived in college around 10am. The sit-in continued for over 12 hours, with the protesters refusing to relent till the principal gave them an assurance about the status of the 52 students.

“Unable to bear the strain, Mondal collapsed around 11.30pm and lost consciousness. He finally regained consciousness on Friday evening,” Basu said.

A protester on campus alleged that the university had only rejected the registration-seeking applications of students supporting the Trinamul union.

Ashoke Ranjan Thakur, the vice chancellor of West Bengal State University, said the university was “firm” in its stand. “We cannot allow any college to admit excess students,” Thakur told Metro.

The university’s tough stand comes in the wake of the high court penalising two colleges this year for admitting students in excess of their permitted capacity.

The above is from the Telegraph.
During our times we were told that we go to schools and colleges to study.
That has all changed.
Now students go there to do politics.
The final seal of approval was given by one of the High Courts which allowed school children to participate in politics.
We are seeing the result.
One boy lost one eye and another was killed in political agitation between the Trinamul Congress. and the CPM.
Then there was the case of a student beating up the Principal.
Today we see a principal die because of students agitation.
Of course, student agitation has been part and parcel of the CPM ever since it came to power in 1967.
They had a free run of all colleges since the congress had been comprehensively vanquished and the Chatra parishad, the student wing of the Congress was there in pockets only.
With the rise of Mamta Banerjee, all that has changed.
The student wing of the Trinamul has also become strong and the CPM finding its power shrinking, is fighting back, tooth and nail.
We can expect even more violence in the un up to next years assembly elections.