Innocence Turning Ugly: Politics around a Student Death in West Bengal
Pratip Chatterjee <chatterjee23_pratip@yahoo.co.in> | | Jul 19 (3 days ago) | | | to kothari65, me | | | Innocence Turning Ugly: Note on Politics around a Student Death in West Bengal Pratip Chattopadhyay*
Abstract
In the first week of April 2013, West Bengal witnessed a tragic death of a college student, Sudipta Gupta, while participating in a ‘law-breaking’ rally led by the CPI (M) student wing – SFI (Student Federation of India) against the decision of the state government to withheld elections to student unions in colleges and universities. Sudipta’s death was allegedly caused by the brutal beating of the police followed by the casualness of the medical staffs. The very next day entire Bengal, and thanks to community forum ‘face-book’ and some media channels, entire nation saw the innocent and bright face of the student and plunged into sorrow. Such a normal reaction over an innocent death was soon followed up by some ugly demonstration of protest and counter-protest allegedly by the student wings of both CPI (M) and Trinamul Congress (TMC). This article after taking note on these events concludes that in tune with the practical (non-ideological) political milieu of our country, student politics too is getting deviated from its ideological position and becoming similar irrespective of the Leftist and rightist genre.
Keywords: Politics, Student, Ideology, Elections, West Bengal
*Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Kalyani, West Bengal and can be reached at chatterjee23_pratip@yahoo.co.in
Introduction
“I don’t want it to be fought at all! An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle, except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it. You know very well that it will not be fought on principle” (Shaw: 2007).
The violent element in
Abstract
In the first week of April 2013, West Bengal witnessed a tragic death of a college student, Sudipta Gupta, while participating in a ‘law-breaking’ rally led by the CPI (M) student wing – SFI (Student Federation of India) against the decision of the state government to withheld elections to student unions in colleges and universities. Sudipta’s death was allegedly caused by the brutal beating of the police followed by the casualness of the medical staffs. The very next day entire Bengal, and thanks to community forum ‘face-book’ and some media channels, entire nation saw the innocent and bright face of the student and plunged into sorrow. Such a normal reaction over an innocent death was soon followed up by some ugly demonstration of protest and counter-protest allegedly by the student wings of both CPI (M) and Trinamul Congress (TMC). This article after taking note on these events concludes that in tune with the practical (non-ideological) political milieu of our country, student politics too is getting deviated from its ideological position and becoming similar irrespective of the Leftist and rightist genre.
Keywords: Politics, Student, Ideology, Elections, West Bengal
*Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Kalyani, West Bengal and can be reached at chatterjee23_pratip@yahoo.co.in
Introduction
“I don’t want it to be fought at all! An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle, except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it. You know very well that it will not be fought on principle” (Shaw: 2007).
The violent element in
References: 1. Banerjee, Ritabrata(2013): War Against Democracy: Designs to Ban Politics in Bengal Campuses, http://www.cpimwb.org.in/feature_details.php?features_id=14#sthash.i7M8sfIH.dpuf (accessed on 26.06.2013). 2. Chakraborty, Satyabrata(2013): Anarchy in West Bengal, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLVIII No. 17, April 27, 2013 3 4. Oomen, T.K(2010): Student Power Mobilization and Protest in Social Movements: Concerns of Equity and Security, Vol. II , T.K. Oomen (ed.), Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2010. 5. Patnaik, Prabhat(2013): Heckling As Violence, People’s Democracy, Vol. XXXVII , No. 17, April 28, 2013 6 7. Shaw, George Bernard(2007): Back to Methuselah, Iowa, 1st World Library. 8. Samaddar, Ranabir(2013): Presidency: Nicher Tolar Protyaghat? ABP, Editorial, 17th April. 9. http://www.alrc.net/PDF/INDIA_Model_Act_Torture_and_Custodial_Death_%28Prohibition%29_Act_2010.pdf (accessed on 28.06.2013). 10. Letters to the Editor, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. .XLVIII No. 16, April 20, 2013 Respected RK Sir Kalyani, Nadia, 741235 West Bengal, India