Bengal: Protests erupt after JU student arrested over March 1 campus clash
Police had earlier arrested two persons in the same case and both of them were granted bail by the court
Kolkata: A second-year civil engineering student from Jadavpur University was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the clash that rocked the varsity campus on March 1.
Following the arrest, a section of the university’s students gheraoed the Jadavpur police station and staged protests. Protests were continuing till reports last came in.
“Souptik Chandra, a student at the university has been arrested in connection with the case related to setting fire in an office inside the varsity on March 1,” said an officer.
Police had earlier arrested two persons in the same case – Mohammad Sahil Ali, a former JU student and Soumyadeep Mahato, a first-year student. While Ali was picked up from his house on March 2, Mahato was arrested after being questioned at the police station on March 12. Both of them were earlier granted bail by the court.
On Tuesday police summoned over a dozen students at the Jadavpur Police station for questioning in connection with the March 1 incident. A few hundred students held a rally from Jadavpur University to Jadavpur police station during the day. Protests broke out when Chandra was arrested.
“The police are harassing the students by implicating them in the case. Two students have already got bail in the same case. We strongly condemn this, and our protests will continue till the arrested student is released. An FIR has been registered against state education minister Bratya Basu on the basis of a complaint lodged by the injured student. Why aren’t the police acting on that?” Anushna Das, a student leader told the media.
On March 1, a clash broke out between the students’ wings of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M) in the university campus. State education minister Bratya Basu’s car was attacked and a student was also injured after being allegedly hit by the minister’s car in the melee. Later, on the order of the Calcutta high court an FIR was registered against Basu.
On March 10, a wall graffiti with “Azad Kashmir” and “Free Palestine” written on it surfaced in the university triggering a political row. Police have already registered a suo moto FIR under Section 152 (actions that endanger India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
