The trouble began over the flags hung at the celebrations on Monday. Instead of the Tricolour, the flags of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) flags adorned the site and the CPM and the Congress locked horns over it.

The two organisations — the CPM’s students’ and youth wings — had organised the programme at the statue of Bose near the High Court.

Giant flags, posters and banners were put up by the two Marxist units at the spot, where over 10,000 students had gathered. When Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee and Youth Congress Secretary Amitava Chakrabarty reached to pay their homage, the marked absence of the national flag made them furious. They ordered that the SFI and DYFI flags be removed and the Tricolour hoisted.

“One should remember that Khudiram Bose had sacrificed his life for the Tricolour and had chanted vande mataram till his last breath,” said Mukherjee. “How can they put up red flags all over and leave out the tiranga for which the freedom fighter had laid down his life?”

State secretary of the SFI, Kaustav Chatterjee, however, was unrepentant.

“We do not have to carry the national flag to pay homage to Khudiram. Our organisation believes that he stood for anti-imperialism, so what is the harm of hoisting the flags of our organisation?” he said.