On March 1, 2025, students of Jadavpur University gathered to present their democratic demands to West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu, particularly calling for the immediate conduct of student union elections. Instead of addressing these demands, the minister, backed by over a thousand TMC-sponsored goons, unleashed a violent assault on the protesting students inside the university campus.
The brutality of the attack was unprecedented. Female students were molested and physically assaulted, and TMC-backed thugs, armed with sticks, wickets, and other weapons, hurled misogynistic abuses at students. As students peacefully encircled the minister’s vehicle in protest, Bratya Basu attempted to flee like a thief, ordering his driver to run over the students in cold blood.
One student was run over by the minister’s car, suffering a serious head injury and severe bleeding, requiring ICU admission. Another student suffered serious injuries to his leg and neck, and at least 10 others are currently hospitalized after the brutal assault by TMC goons. The police crackdown and arrests of students following the incident are equally condemnable.
Instead of addressing the students' demands, Bratya Basu shamelessly attempted to delegitimize the struggle, labeling it an alliance of ‘Ram and Bam’—a diversionary tactic to shift attention away from the government’s failure to uphold democratic rights in universities. The demand for student union elections is a fundamental right, and any attempt to suppress it through violence and intimidation is unacceptable. The attack on students who were merely seeking dialogue exposes the government’s fear of organized student resistance against its undemocratic policies.
This attack is not an isolated incident—it is part of a broader state-sponsored crackdown on students fighting for their rights. The repression at Jamia Millia Islamia, the illegal NIA investigation of students in JNU for wall writing, and the arrest of students in BHU for discussing Manusmriti Dahan all expose the fascist tactics used to silence democratic voices in educational institutions.
The Hindutva fascist state is crushing dissent across the country—from the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre, where a minister’s son ran over protesting farmers, to the mass arrests of activists, journalists, and professors. The TMC, despite its hollow claims of being "anti-fascist" and against BJP-RSS, is nothing but a lackey of the same fascist forces.
We Demand:
- Immediate and unconditional release of arrested students and withdrawal of all false charges.
- Immediate conduct of student union elections in Jadavpur University and all educational institutions across West Bengal.
- Action against those responsible for the attacks on students, including police personnel and university authorities complicit in the violence.
- Immediate arrest of Bratya Basu for his attempted murder of students.
- Justice for all injured students, including compensation and legal action against the TMC-backed goons responsible for the violence.
All India Students and Youth Organisation (AISYO)
Date: 03-03-2025,
Vijayawada
