Babul Supriyo Heckled By Students At Jadavpur University, Governor Jagdeep Dhankar Issues Strong Statement

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said the alleged heckling of Union Minister Babul Supriyo by a section of Jadavpur University students, when he went to address a seminar organised by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), was a very serious matter and asked the state chief secretary to take immediate action with regard to it.

Chief secretary Malay De assured the governor, who is the chancellor of the university, that the city police commissioner is being directed to look into it immediately.

"With respect to the 'gherao' of Union Minister Babul Supriyo by a section of students, the Governor of the State, Jagdeep Dhankhar (in file pic) has taken a very serious view and has spoken to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal," Press Secretary to West Bengal Governor said.

Press Secy to West Bengal Governor: Governor spoke to the VC of Jadavpur University & indicated to him that it was improper for him not to have taken prompt steps in the matter, that can lead to unwholesome results.This is a very serious reflection on the law & order of the state https://t.co/yIH9DRGPAj

— ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2019

Babul Supriyo, the union minister of state for environment, forest and climate change, was shown black flags and allegedly heckled by a section of students at Jadavpur University (JU), where he had gone to address a seminar organised by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad - the student wing of the RSS.

The minister is currently held up on the campus, with the protesting students blocking the way to his car.

The incident of gherao of Union Minister Babul Supriyo and others by a section of the students in Jadavpur University is a very serious matter. It shows an adverse reflection on the law and force agency in the state, Dhankhar said.

According to reports, Supriyo was initially stopped from entering the campus for around one-and-half hours by members of two Left-leaning organizations - Arts Faculty Students’ Union (AFSU) and Students Federation of India - (SFI), who raised slogans ‘Babul Supriyo Go Back’.

The BJP leader faced another round of protests while trying to leave the campus around 5 pm.

“I did not come here to do politics. But I am saddened by the behaviour of some of the students of the university, the way they have heckled me. They pulled me by my hair and pushed me,” Supriyo, who attended the seminar amid heavy security, told reporters visiting the campus.

Describing the behaviour of the agitating students as “absolutely deplorable”, he alleged that the protesters were trying to “disturb peace” at the institute by “instigating the students and seminar organizers to create a stampede-like situation”.