Outrage over arrest of former JU student in Bengal minister heckling case

Kolkata, Aug 15 (PTI) Hours after a city court on Friday remanded ex-Jadavpur University student Hindol Majumdar to police custody till August 18 in connection with the alleged heckling of West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu on the campus a few months ago, the varsity's representative professors' body and opposition BJP described it as an "act of revenge." Majumdar, currently a research scholar at a Spanish university, was arrested upon his arrival in Delhi from Spain on Thursday, following a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him.

He was brought here on a transit remand and produced before Alipore court, which sent him to police custody till Monday.

The incident took place in March when Basu was at the varsity's main campus to attend a meeting of the Trinamool Congress-backed professors' body, WBCUPA.

On his way out, he faced demonstrations from Left-wing outfits, who were demanding that the long-pending students' union elections be conducted at the earliest.

Basu alleged that he was physically heckled by the protesters and his car vandalised.

In a statement on Thursday, JUTA deplored the arrest of Majumdar describing it as "an act of revenge.".

Association general secretary Partha Pratim Roy said the arrest brought to the fore the "autocratic, revengeful character of the state government who want to turn Bengal into a police state." "While authorities claim Majumdar was arrested in connection with the incident on JU campus, let us remember he was away in Spain at that time to pursue his research work. In fact he had been away in the European country for research work since 2023," JUTA president Parthapratim Biswas said.

JUTA has demanded immediate release of Majumdar and dropping of charges against him.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said though the party does not share Majumdar's ideology, his arrests and remand shows the autocratic, intolerant, undemocratic nature of ruling TMC which wants to muffle dissent.

TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said though the arrest has been made based on police investigation, there are charges about Majumdar instigating ultra left wing students on the campus to carry out on attacks on Basu through social media as claimed by police.

"None is doubting his academic brilliance. That does not overshadow his alleged role in the March attack through social media messages from abroad," Ghosh told reporters.

Hindol’s father, retired JU professor Chandan Majumdar, told reporters that the family had no prior knowledge of any lookout notice.

"There was a police notice regarding one case earlier, and Hindol had responded. I do not believe he would ever conspire to attack a state minister," he said. PTI SUS MNB