Bengal Governor claims heckle at Calcutta University as the ‘Black day’ in state’s history

Kolkata, 29 January (HS) :A day after he was heckled by a group of people at the convocation of Calcutta University preventing him from attending the function, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar today expressed his ‘serious displeasure and strong reservations’ about the whole incident where the police remained muke spectators and did not take any action.

Holding a Press Conference at Raj Bhavan here this afternoon, the Governor narrating yesterday’s whole incident said it was ‘one of the Black days in the history of the state’.

Recalling the hour long drama at the entrance of the Convocation venue at Nazrul Manch in South Kolkata, the Governor said it was most unfortunate that when only a handful of ‘students’  blocked his car at the entrance,continuously shouted  ‘Go Back’ slogans against him and even prevented him from attending the programme where Nobel laureate Avijit Binayak Banerjee was given honorary D-Litt by the century old University,the  police and other state government officials remained muke spectators and did not intervene to avoid or end the ugly situation.

Claiming that none of the slogan shouting people was the ‘student of  this glorious university’, the Governor also described the whole  incident as a ‘state managed tragedy’ which should not have happened.

He said he had decided to attend the ‘very prestigious programme of this 167 year old university’ only after he was formally invited by the Registrar of the university and had expected that he would be treated there properly.

Also venting his anger and frustration through his twitter handle, the Governor said ‘Convocation of Calcutta University was at Nazrul Mancha auditorium and not on the campus of Calcutta University. There was total failure of the State Machinery to maintain law and order. The obstruction was stage managed. This happens to constitutional head. Where are we heading!’.

Meanwhile, state Education minister Partha Chatterjee,considered to be a strong critic of the Governor, did not criticise yesterday’s incident and felt that the Governor should not have gone there and he should avoid all confrontational attitudes with the state administration.

But according to several  city based intellectuals, such behaviour with the Governor as the Chancellor of the University was unthinkable even a few years ago.They also demanded a thorough probe into the incident and identify the demonstrators and take stern action against them.

State BJP President Dilip Ghosh also severely condemned the incident and alleged that the demonstrators  had tacit support from the authorities to demonstrate in such an ugly manner. He also severely criticised the role of the police in not preventing the students from blocking the Governor’s car.