Seven hurt in campus violence

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 28: Seven persons were injured when members of the Chhatra Parishad and the Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad clashed over the foundation day celebrations at a college here today.

The Siliguri Government Polytechnic College is the second campus to witness a clash between the student wings of the Congress and Trinamul after Islampur College.

The root of the violence was a programme organised by the Chhatra Parishad in front of the college to mark the 58th foundation day of the outfit. “Around 20 TMCP supporters, most of them outsiders, told us to go elsewhere so that they could hold their foundation day event in the same place. We refused and an altercation started,” Khokon Dolai, the working president of the CP’s college unit, said. Later, however, the issue was resolved and the CP event was held. “Suddenly another 20 TMCP members and SMC councillor Krishna Pal arrived. Pal started accusing us of harassing the TMCP supporters and asked them to attack us. We suffered head and chest injuries,” said Dolai.

Dolai and Samir Biswas, a second year student, have been hospitalised. Two other first year students were released after first aid. The TMCP supporters, however, alleged that the CP supporters had attacked them. “They (CP members) said we would not be allowed to hold our event at the spot. When we insisted, they beat us up. Three persons were injured,” Harish Singh, the outfit’s working president in the college, said. The union was run by the SFI and dates for fresh polls have not been announced.