Visva Bharati asst professor arrested for alleged casteist slur against student

The assistant professor of Manipuri dance at Visva Bharati University has been accused of making casteist remarks against a student of economics department while the latter was having tea at a local stall on September 17.

KOLKATA: An assistant professor of Visva Bharati University (VBU) in West Bengal’s Santiniketan was arrested by the district police from Kolkata on Sunday on charges of leveling casteist slur against a student, police said

The Visva Bharati University assistant professor was sent to judicial custody for 14 days. (File Photo)

“The assistant professor was arrested on Sunday from Kolkata after an arrest warrant was issued by the court. He was produced before a court in Birbhum on Monday. The court remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days,” said an officer of Santiniketan police station.

According to the FIR, Sumit Basu, an assistant professor of Manipuri dance, had made some casteist remarks against Somnath Sow, a student of economics department while the latter was having tea at a local stall on September 17.

Basu on Monday refused to speak with the media.

Earlier in August 2021, Somnath Sow along with two other students, was expelled for three years by the VBU authorities for taking part in a campus protest. Later the Calcutta high court set aside the rustication order against three VBU postgraduate students.

Bose approached the district court for anticipatory bail. When the district court refused to grant him anticipatory bail, he approached the high court. Recently he withdrew his plea, after which he was arrested.