By Sagnik Mukherjee

Jadavpur University in Kolkata stands as one of the premier institutions in India, long recognized as a bastion of progressive radical leftist thought. With its deep-rooted history of student activism, the university has played a significant role in shaping radical movements, most notably during the Naxalite movement, where numerous students actively participated, further solidifying its revolutionary legacy. 

Even today, Jadavpur remains an exceptional space where various leftist organizations have consistently secured victories in student and worker union elections, defeating both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), despite their growing influence in other spheres of the state.

However, for several years, student union elections have been suspended across West Bengal. Despite repeated and vocal demands from the student community for democratic representation, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government has shown blatant disregard for these appeals, stalling any efforts to reinstate this fundamental democratic process. This lack of student representation has resulted in a steady erosion of campus democracy, leaving students without a legitimate platform to voice their concerns and address institutional grievances.

The situation reached a boiling point on March 1st, during the annual West Bengal College and University Professors' Association (WBCUPA) event at Jadavpur University, where State Education Minister Bratya Basu was present. In response to his visit, several leftist student organizations, along with a large contingent of general students, organized a peaceful demonstration. Their primary demand was the immediate resumption of student union elections and a tripartite meeting involving the minister, the university administration, and student representatives to discuss a range of pressing issues, including academic reforms, infrastructural development, and democratic rights within the university.

However, the minister not only refused to engage with the protesting students but, in a shocking display of authoritarianism, allegedly deployed TMC-affiliated goons to violently disperse the peaceful gathering. The attack was brutal and unprovoked, leading to chaotic scenes of physical altercations, with several students sustaining serious injuries. The clash exposed the state's increasing reliance on violence to suppress dissent, even within the spaces of higher education.

As tensions escalated, some students staged a sit-in protest in front of the minister's vehicle, blocking his departure. What followed was a horrifying act of violence — reports emerged that the convoy recklessly drove through the crowd, endangering the lives of few of the protestors. One of the protestor got seriously ignored and is fighting for his life in hospital. This deliberate act of aggression triggered an immediate and spontaneous response from the student community. Outraged by the barbaric attack, students across the campus called for an indefinite strike. In a show of solidarity, various leftist organizations throughout the state (and even other states) took to the streets, while the university's workers' unions announced a work stoppage.

We unequivocally and strongly condemn this brutal assault orchestrated by the TMC government against peacefully protesting students. The events of March 1st reflect a larger, more troubling pattern — the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions within educational spaces. Jadavpur University, like many other institutions across the state, has suffered from the prolonged suspension of student union elections. Moreover, there has been a consistent reduction in government funding for education and research, further aggravating the infrastructural crisis faced by public educational institutions.

The absence of democratic student unions has paralyzed vital institutional bodies such as the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and Anti-Ragging Cells, leaving them dysfunctional. Without student oversight, these committees have failed to deliver justice, with many students — particularly women, sexual minorities, and marginalized communities. Victim-blaming, slut-shaming, and harassment have become alarmingly routine, with students facing bureaucratic hurdles and patriarchal prejudice when seeking redressal.

Simultaneously, under the false pretense of maintaining "apolitical" environments, right-wing ideologies are making insidious inroads into campuses. The recent incident at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, where a Nepali student's complaint was dismissed by the ICC under BJP's influence, serves as a grim reminder of how right-wing forces are using institutional mechanisms to silence dissent and marginalize voices.

The roots of this crisis run deep. The privatization and centralization of education — initiated during the Congress regime — have accelerated under the New Education Policy (NEP). The NEP has further corporatized education, pushing it towards a profit-driven model. Recently, over 8,000 government schools have been shut down in West Bengal alone, leaving thousands of students with limited access to affordable education. The crisis of capitalism has transformed educational institutions into factories designed to produce cheap labor for global markets, stripping education of its emancipatory potential.

The events of March 1st also exposed a critical challenge within the student movement — the presence of unorganized, spontaneous, and often emotionally-driven petty-bourgeois radicalism. While this form of protest lacks strategic planning and long-term vision, we nonetheless salute the unwavering fighting spirit of the students. Their courage and resolve, despite the absence of structured leadership, underscore a genuine desire for change and justice.

At this juncture, it is crucial to recognize a fundamental truth: in times of capitalist crisis — an inherent feature of capitalism — the bourgeois state cannot and will not concede to the legitimate demands of students and workers. It views organized unions, which acts as a cartel unite people to fight for democratic rights, as threats to its hegemony. Consequently, the state systematically dismantles these unions, deploying repressive laws and violent crackdowns to stifle dissent. True liberation for students, workers, women, and gender minorities cannot be achieved within the confines of this capitalist system.

The solution does not lie in a mere change of ministers or governments. The problem is structural. Predictably, the bourgeois state has responded to the March 1st protests by falsely implicating and arresting a leftist student protestor, Sahil, while filing fabricated charges against several others. Expecting justice from a judiciary that serves the interests of the bourgeoisie is futile — it is a cruel illusion. There can be no dialogue between the sword and the neck.

What we need now is an organized, united, and militant leftist student-worker movement against the bourgeois state. We must build a revolutionary force capable of challenging the oppressive structures that perpetuate inequality and exploitation.

We call upon all leftist activists, students, and workers: Unite, take to the streets, and fight for democratic rights! Long live revolutionary student-worker solidarity!

Our Immediate Demands:

The immediate and unconditional release of our comrade Sahil, who has been falsely imprisoned.

The withdrawal of all fabricated charges against the protesting students.

The immediate announcement and implementation of student union elections across all educational institutions in West Bengal.