Das said he saw some student union leaders also walking in the rally yesterday in which pro-Afzal slogans were raised.
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Angry over the tearing of posters, the first group then took out a big rally that went around the campus, alleging the posters were torn by those with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad connections.
“As a Vice Chancellor, it is my responsibility to see that the students get their right to protest, their freedom of speech and expression is protected”, he said.
During the torch rally brought from JU campus to Gol Park in South Kolkata by students of all faculties of the university, slogans like “Afzal bole azadi, Geelani bole azadi” and “Cheenke ke lenge azadi” were raised.
“In university, the police has no role”. That rally was not officially convened by the students’ union.
The ABVP’s counter-rally in Jadavpur University on Wednesday may result in a showdown with the Left students’ union on the campus on Thursday.
Despite the uproar over the seditious and anti-national acts perpetrated by JNU students, the pro-Afzal itch seems to be spreading across the nation.
The DSA, in its letter expressing support to JNU, has said, “We… know well the struggle and cost of challenging state narratives”. They mourned Afzal Guru and in 2010, they had celebrated the killing of 76 CRPF jawans.
“The SFI is all the time towards terrorism communalism and divisive forces”.
A joint statement signed by 455 academicians from global universities, said, “JNU stands for a vital imagination of the space of the university an imagination that embraces critical thinking, democratic dissent, student activism, and the plurality of political beliefs. In such a scenario such irresponsible statements will only strengthen the fascist forces and weaken the student’s movement”.
According to sources, the Home Ministry has sought reports regarding the rally from the state government. “I met the scholars’ union leaders in the morning they usually informed me that they disassociate themselves with all anti-national slogans”, vice-chancellor Suranjan Das stated.
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The CPI-M backed Students Federation of India, CPI supported All India Students Federation and the Revolutionary Socialist Party’s arm Progressive Students Union were among those who took part in the rally from College Square to the Y Channel in the city centre.
