Students’ body stir against assault

Statesman News Service

MALDA, May 13: Protesting against the alleged assault on students of All India Democratic Students’ Organisation and All India Students’ Association by Congress supporters, members of the organisations brought out a rally at Gazole today. The student organisations had been agitating against the admission fee hike imposed by the Hazi Naku Mohd Uchcho Vidyalaya authority at Gazole when the incident occured.

Two AIDSO student leaders, Mr Bhabesh Mandal and Mr Ranjit Roy, were injured in the attack and admitted to Gazole Hospital.

The agitation had begun on Monday with AISA supporters blocking the state highway for over two hours at Bidrohi More demanding a rollback of the hiked fee. A meeting on the issue was fixed today, but the situation became worse, with news spreading that a group of students had attacked the headmaster of the Hazi Naku Mohd Uchcho Vidyalaya.

“The Congress leaders mobilised a group of people to spread the rumour and, under its pretext, attacked the agitating student leaders of the AISA and AIDSO,” alleged the CPI-ML leader, Mr Mrityunjay Das.

The Congress leadership has denied the allegation against its supporters. “It is true that a section of the agitators had attacked the headmaster of the Hazi Naku Mohd Uchcho Vidyalaya, Mr Kali Sadhan Roy. They were resisted by students of the school and fled. However, no Congress supporter is involved in the hostilities,” claimed Malda district Congress vice-president Mr Masadur Rahaman.