Fresh clashes between activists of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) broke out at Midnapore College in West Midnapore district on Friday afternoon, 21 August, injuring activists from both organisations. The violence came just 24 hours after two separate rounds of SFI-ABVP clashes rocked Jadavpur University (JU) in South Kolkata.

How the clashes unfolded

SFI activists at Midnapore College had organised a protest gathering on campus against the damage inflicted on Jadavpur University's engraved emblem — designed by celebrated painter Nandalal Bose — during Thursday's confrontations at the university. The protest, according to SFI, was peaceful until it was disrupted.

Ranit Bera, SFI's district president in West Midnapore, alleged that ABVP supporters arrived carrying flags and launched an unprovoked assault on the demonstrators. 'The ABVP supporters arrived at the protest venue carrying flags and launched a sudden attack on the students protesting peacefully. They even targeted some college teachers and support staff. Some students were injured in the attack,' Bera told reporters.

ABVP's counter-version

ABVP's national working committee member in charge of South Bengal, Arunava Dutta, flatly rejected the allegations, offering a diametrically opposite account. 'On the contrary, SFI activists attacked our supporters who had assembled peacefully within the college premises to condemn the attack on ABVP supporters by SFI activists at JU on Thursday. Around 12 of our supporters were injured. We have asked the police to take necessary action,' Dutta said.

JU probe committee and police complaint

Amid the escalating tension, Jadavpur University authorities on Friday announced the formation of a three-member probe committee to investigate the two consecutive clashes on its campus. The university also filed an official complaint at the local Jadavpur Police Station. Notably, none of the three committee members are affiliated with JU, suggesting an effort to ensure independence in the inquiry.

Pattern of student political violence in Bengal

This is not an isolated incident. Student-wing clashes between SFI and ABVP have periodically flared across West Bengal's college campuses, often intensifying around politically charged events. The back-to-back incidents at JU — first on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, and then again on Thursday afternoon — and now at Midnapore College suggest a rapid escalation that has drawn in campuses beyond Kolkata. With a formal probe now underway and police complaints registered, the political fallout is likely to deepen in the coming days.