ABVP protests brutal killing of 2 students in West Bengal

Silchar: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Silchar unit, has vehemently condemned and criticized the irresponsible and uncalled for action of the West Bengal police in shooting to death two students owing allegiance to their organization for registering their protests along with other students against the undemocratic step of the education department of the state in appointing Arabic teachers without any rhyme or reason. The inhuman and brutal incident took place at Daribhit High School in North Dinajpur. The students killed in police firing are Rajesh Sarkar, assistant secretary, ABVP of the school and a member Tapash Barman.

As stated by Tamajit Das, secretary, Silchar unit of ABVP, who led the protest rally and demonstration, said the students of the Parishad were demonstrating protest against the appointment of two teachers of Urdu without even a single student offering the subject in the school. The school is purely a Bengali medium institution. Instead of appointing teachers in the subject of English and History, the two departments crippled by shortage of teaching staff, the school authority for reasons best known to them became active to appoint Urdu teachers. Tamajit Das on the basis of the inputs of the ABVP unit of Daribhit High School said enraged by the appointment of the teachers not required.

The pressing demand of the students numbering around 1700 was not only for teachers in English and History but also in Science. When the fact about the appointment of Urdu teachers came to light, the entire student community buzzed into protest. There was neither any violence nor any provocation from the side of the students. But, the school authority had some other design to teach the students a lesson for protesting against their decision to appoint teachers in Urdu. The police was called in which resorted to indiscriminate firing, killing Rajesh Sarkar and Tapash Barman on the spot while Biplob Sarkar who was shot in the leg is critically injured and his condition is stated to be not out of danger.

Besides, many students and villagers who came to their rescue were also injured. Tamajit Das told the mediapersons here after the protest demonstration, “The West Bengal government and its administration are totally insensitive to the demands raised by any student organization other than Trinamool Chatra Parishad. This is unthinkable in a democratic country like ours. The present government led by Mamata Bannerji has adopted a dictatorial attitude towards the saffron organizations as they have become vocal in protesting against her brazen appeasement policy towards the Muslims just for the sake of vote bank politics”.

ABVP, he pointed out, will not take it lying down and continue to protest against the arbitrary and undemocratic actions of the West Bengal government. The ABVP units of Assam have joined their West Bengal counter parts in demanding immediate arrest of the perpetrators of atrocities on the students of Daribhit High School and punishment to them, besides the resignation of the education minister, Partha Chatterjee. In the meantime, West Bengal BJP has called statewide bandh on Wednesday to protest against the brutal killing of students and the barbarism of its police.