American molested in Tagore varsity

Joy Prasanna Mishra, a Bolpur resident, allegedly assaulted the woman who was on an educational tour with her team, reports Surojit Ghosh Hazra.

An American woman was allegedly molested by a youth, said to be a drug addict, in Visva Bharati on Tuesday, barely a month after a student was shot dead on the Santiniketan campus by her estranged boyfriend.

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A university security guard handed over the youth to the police. Later in the afternoon, a formal complaint was lodged in Bolpur police station.

Around 12.45 pm, Joy Prasanna Mishra alias Sunny, a Bolpur resident, allegedly assaulted the American woman, who was on an educational tour with her team. The incident occurred in front of Black House on the university premises.

The team of 10 Americans was touring with their local in-charge, professor Arnab Roy from Kolkata. "They had checked into a hotel in Bolpur on February 10," police sources said. On Tuesday morning, the team went to the Visva Bharati campus. When they reached Sangeet Bhavan, the woman, aged 20, was allegedly molested by Mishra.

When the woman shouted, her teammates and some students chased Mishra. He was caught by a security guard. "I was alerted after hearing her shout. So it was not difficult for me to net him. I soon informed the matter to my higher authorities and he was handed over to the police," said guard Avijit Ghosh.