Campus violence makes Teachers Day gloomy in West Bengal

     Kolkata, Sep 5   Recent incidents of violence on
professors and principals of educational institutions in West
Bengal has marred this year's Teachers Day celebrations here.
     Educationists and eminent professors in the state feel
there is an urgent need to stop criminalisation of student
politics, which has led to a situation where teachers are
being assaulted by students.
     For the last few years, incidents of brutal assault on
teachers, professors and principals of schools and colleges
have been reported from various parts of the state.
     Recently, the principal and two teachers of a college in
north Dinajpur were brutally beaten up allegedly by student
activists, after a local Trinamool Congress leader's wife was
caught cheating during exam.
     The allegation, however, was denied by Trinamool, which
in turn accused the principal, wife of a former Left Front
minister, of playing dirty politics.
     The incident came close on heels of the attack on the
principal of a college in North 24 Parganas, where SFI
activists allegedly attacked the principal of the college with
iron rods and assaulted him brutally. The allegation was
denied by SFI, student's wing of CPI(M).
     Eminent educationists and even political leaders feel
criminalisation of students politics need to be stopped.
     "It is the the criminalisation of student politics that
is leading to such a situation. Earlier also there have been
student politics but now that have graduated into measures
where teachers and principals are being beaten and are forced
to promote a student who has failed," vice chancellor of
Jadavpur University Siddhartha Dutta told PTI.
     Dutta's views were echoed by educationist Sunanda Sanyal
who felt that political parties should not be allowed to
interfere in the functioning of schools and colleges.
     "There is an urgent need to stop criminalisation of
politics. Political parties for their own interest use
students. This should stop as it destroys their future," he
said.
     Recommendations of Lyndyog Commission regarding students
elections should be immediately implemented in educational
institutions, Sanyal demanded.
     The importance of students politics can be gauged from
the fact that both former Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee and incumbent Mamata Banerjee started off as
student leaders.
     Governor M K Narayanan, who is also the chancellor of the
state universities, had recently said "the students who beat
the teacher should be beaten up," a comment which has sparked
off controversy.
     Educationist Pabitra Sarkar blamed the Mamata Banerjee
government saying Trinamool regime's tendency to downplay
those incidents has acted as a catalyst in encouraging the
rowdy students.
     "There is an identity crisis between this ruling party
and government. The ruling party has to take action against
the culprits irrespective of party colour," he said.
     However, both Trinamool and opposition CPI(M) agreed on
the fact that strict action should be taken against the
students who assault teachers.
     "This tendency is a kind of decadent culture which has
gripped educational institutions. Those who attack teachers
can't have any political identity and action should be taken
against them irrespective of political identity," Trinamool
Congress MP Saugata Ray said.
     "This tendency should not be treated as a political
problem but as a law and order problem and strict action,
irrespective of political identity, should be taken," CPI(M)
central committee member Shyamal Chakraborty said.
      The Vice chancellor of Bengal Engineering and Science
University, Ajay Ray felt that there is an urgent need for
integration of thought among the students and the teachers in
order to respect each others views and thoughts.