Police have arrested a student from Jadavpur University (JU) for his involvement in the violence and vandalism on campus on March 1. This is the second arrest in the case.
Soumyadip Mahata, a philosophy honours student, was called to Jadavpur police station on Wednesday night to give a statement about the incident. He was questioned for four hours and then taken into custody.
The unrest happened during the annual general meeting of the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-affiliated West Bengal College and University Professors' Union, which was attended by West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu.
A group of students formed a human chain around Basu’s car, preventing him from leaving. They were protesting for immediate talks about holding student union elections, which had been pending for years.
Also Read: WB: Student protests intensify, demand Edu Min's resignation
The situation turned violent when Basu’s car left the campus forcefully, injuring two students. Later, protesters set fire to the office of TMC’s education wing for non-teaching staff and destroyed banners and festoons.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of CPI(M), has denied any links to Mahata. They said that while he is a left-leaning activist, he is not a member of their group. Student organisations and protesters are planning a general body meeting on Thursday to decide their response to the arrests.
An SFI leader said that while university authorities have promised to withdraw cases against students protesting for elections, arrests are still happening, which they find unacceptable.
The Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association confirmed Mahata’s arrest. Earlier, on March 2, police arrested a former JU student from his rented flat in South Kolkata. He was accused of participating in the protest, arson, and vandalism. The ex-student, originally from Birbhum, currently works at an IT firm in Salt Lake.
Also Read: Police record WB edu min's statement over JU violence
Follow us
