Bengal governor questions students' silence over alleged molestation

Kolkata, March 23 (IANS) In the wake of the alleged molestation of a Jadavpur University student, West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi on Monday questioned the silence of students who had participated in a major agitation against the varsity authorities in a similar molestation case last year.

"Why are they (students) silent? Why don't they come forward... why don't they help the police in catching those students who are guilty of molestation?" Tripathi told the media here.

A first year Jadavpur University student was allegedly molested by three engineering students inside the campus last week.

The victim said she was assaulted and molested after she refused to allow her bag to be checked while entering a festival organised by the Faculty of Engineering Technology Students' Union at the campus.

"At the entrance of the fest these three students were standing and asked to check my bag. Since they were males, I said no. To which they said they will not allow me inside, and when I argued they bad mouthed me, assaulted and molested me," said the victim.

A similar molestation case in the university last year had snowballed into a major controversy when vice chancellor Abhijit Chakrabarti called for a police crackdown on students agitating for an independent probe into the molestation.

Sustained protests by the students and a section of teachers led to Chakarabarti being asked to step down by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.