JU teachers take to the streets to protest against 'assault' on English dept professor

Kolkata: Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) on Thursday took to the streets to protest against the alleged roughing up of a professor of English department by a few women activists of BJP near the varsity campus on December 30.

JUTA was also vocal against a threat by a member of the saffron party's South Kolkata committee, in response to a Facebook post made by a professor of Journalism & Mass Communication department of the varsity.

The teachers' organisation held a protest meeting in this connection in front of 8B bus stand at Jadavpur in the afternoon.

"Everybody has the right to voice his/her opinion about Citizenship Amendment Act and if somebody speaks against it, you should not apply physical force against him/her. We (teachers) at Jadavpur University encourage free thinking on the part of our students also," said Partha Pratim Ray, general secretary of JUTA.

It may be mentioned that Doyeeta Majumder, assistant professor of the English department at the university, was on her way back from an anti-CAA rally when she found some BJP women supporters speaking in a manner that portrayed the varsity in poor light.

When she retorted by saying that they were lying, she was allegedly assaulted. Another student was also roughed up when he tried to rescue her. Majumder subsequently lodged an FIR at Jadavpur police station.

Meanwhile Santwan Chattopadhyay, an associate professor of Journalism and Mass communication at JU who had condemned the assault on one of the students Pinaki Dhole on his Facebook page, was allegedly threatened by one Partha Chakraborty, a member of the BJP's South Kolkata committee.

"Sir, aapnake aamra chine rakchhi …(We are marking you)" was sent via Facebook messenger to Chattopadhyay on Wednesday evening.

The professor subsequently sent a mail to the cyber crime division of Kolkata police on Wednesday, urging necessary action.