People's Democracy

SFI Rejects Minister’s Concocted Allegation

THROUGH a statement issued from New Delhi on April 11, the Student’s Federation of India (SFI) took note of the protests taking place all over the country since April 2, 2013, demanding an independent judicial probe into the custodial death of Comrade Sudipta Gupta, a state committee member of the SFI in West Bengal. The SFI statement noted that Sudipta had joined a rally in Kolkata, demanding democratic students union elections all over the state of West Bengal, but the peaceful rally was attacked by the police and several protesters were arrested. While Sudipta died in the police custody, the post mortem report established that multiple injuries had led to his death. The gruesome death in police custody enraged the conscience of all well meaning people across the country, as it was a gross violation of the democratic and human rights of Indian citizens. People came out into the streets across the country, protesting against this incident and demanding an independent judicial probe into this custodial death.

Recalling the unfortunate incident that took place in front of the Planning Commission office in New Delhi on April 9, the SFI statement said that the West Bengal government and the ruling Trinamul Congress were trying to use this incident to deflect attention from the custodial death of Sudipta Gupta and from the demand for a judicial probe into it. The statement said the SFI and other democratic organisations would never allow this to happen.

While sharply criticising the vicious campaign of terror unleashed in West Bengal and the outrageous behaviour of Trinamul goons in the Presidency University campus, the SFI statement also referred to the allegation made on April 10 by Subrata Mukherjee, minister in the West Bengal cabinet, that SFI general secretary Ritabrata Banerjee had physically assaulted him. Rejecting this allegation as “absolutely baseless and concocted,” the SFI said “we denounce (it) with all the strength that we can muster.” Also, the SFI strongly condemned the series of attacks on the students community and the people of West Bengal, and urged the students across the country to unitedly demand an independent judicial enquiry into the custodial death of Sudipta Gupta.