Campus Clash: SFI Protests at Visva-Bharati

Tensions rose at Visva-Bharati as the SFI protested against a university event organized with a BJP-affiliated group. The protest highlighted the SFI's resistance to perceived efforts to 'saffronise' the campus. They claimed peaceful protestors were assaulted by security, leading to a contentious atmosphere.

Tension gripped Visva-Bharati's main gate on Friday as the SFI staged a protest against a program organized by the university in collaboration with a group led by a BJP leader.

Pratyush Mukherjee, secretary of SFI's Visva-Bharati unit, stated that their left-wing organization would persist in opposing attempts to 'saffronise' the campus. The protest targeted a lecture at Lipika Auditorium by Bhasa Bhavana and the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, led by BJP's Anirban Ganguly.

The event aimed to celebrate the designation of Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit as classical languages. Mukherjee appreciated the topic but not the organizer. SFI members reported being assaulted by security while protesting peacefully. Anirban Ganguly, who also faced disruptions, clarified that the event was not political. The registrar of Visva-Bharati, Ashok Mahato, claimed no protest inside the venue was noted.

(With inputs from agencies.)