Tue Mar 18 16:45:30 UTC 2025: ## Jadavpur University Protests Continue Amidst Police Crackdown and Political Wrangling

**Kolkata, March 18, 2025** – Jadavpur University remains in turmoil following three weeks of student protests and clashes. The situation escalated on Tuesday with 16 students summoned to the Jadavpur Police Station in relation to a March 1st incident involving a confrontation between West Bengal State Education Minister Bratya Basu and students. One undergraduate student, Souptik, was arrested, while another, Anirban, is currently being questioned. While one arrested student, Soumyadeep Mahanto, was granted bail, the protests continue.

The interim Vice-Chancellor, Bhaskar Gupta, returned to campus after a three-week absence citing health issues. He has reportedly assured students that no police posting on campus will be finalized without consultation. However, the issue of police presence remains a major point of contention. West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose stated that the V-C should decide on deploying police, but the V-C maintains it’s not solely his decision, highlighting the ongoing political deadlock.

Students vehemently oppose the proposed 24-hour police outpost, arguing that it would create a climate of fear within the academic environment. While they are not against increased security measures such as more CCTV cameras, they see the police outpost as an unacceptable intrusion. The university has since implemented restrictions on media access following allegations of aggressive reporting by certain outlets.

The university administration, under pressure from the ongoing protests, has taken steps to address student concerns, including holding talks with students and requesting government permission for an urgent Executive Council meeting. This follows an earlier request from Kolkata Police to establish a new police outpost on March 11th. The situation continues to evolve, with the future of police presence on campus remaining unresolved.

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