Campus rampage comrade seeks votes.

(From The Statesman (India))

SUBHENDU MAITI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, May 31. - Freedom of choice is all very well, but when it extends to the CPI-M nominating Mr Alokesh Das, a DYFI leader, for the forthcoming by-election to the Nabadwip Lok Sabha seat, eyebrows are naturally going to be raised. For, he had landed the party in deep trouble during the Kalyani University tangle between 1988 and 1990.

Mr Das, the then leader of the SFI backed Kalyani University Students' Union, was identified by the university authorities as having been involved in at least three cases of arson and hooliganism which led to the suspension of classes. Mr Jyoti Basu had had to intervene to restore normalcy on the campus.

According to a confidential report on the incident of violence on 20 and 21 July, 1990 by the then university V-C Prof. KK Dasgupta - "The students all on a sudden resorted to utter hooliganism and vandalism. They locked all the collapsible gates of the V-C's chamber by means of putting some of their own locks, threw many furniture at the gates and damaged a number of university property. They snapped general power supply to the vice-chancellor's chamber. Generator line was also snapped. They confined everyone present (19 of them) in the V-C's chamber and in his secretariat. Shri Alokesh Das and Shri Pradip Sarkar were seen instigating the students. Both the persons were once ...