Jadavpur University Student Held For 'Setting Fire Within Campus'
Soumyadip Mahata, a member of the Democratic Students' Federation, was arrested for allegedly setting a fire within the campus.
A first-year Philosophy student at Jadavpur University (JU) in Kolkata was arrested in connection with allegedly setting a fire within the campus.
According to the PTI, the incident occurred on March 1. Soumyadip Mahata, a member of the Democratic Students' Federation, faces two cases related to unrest and vandalism.
While speaking to the news agency, a leader of the JU SFI unit said that Mahata was called to the Jadavpur police station to record his statement regarding the violence at the Trinalmool Congress (TMC), West Bengal College and University Professors' Union, where West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu was also present.
Students had formed human chains around Minister Bratya Basu's car, they demanded immediate talks on pending student union elections. As the minister's car moved past the human chain, two students were injured. Subsequent protests led to the TMC non-teaching staff's education wing office being set on fire, and several hoardings and festoons were put up on campus.
The Students Federation of India (SFI) leader claimed Mahata was a left student activist but not associated with the federation. The organisation, along with other student protesters, will hold a general body meeting on Thursday to decide their future course of action following the arrest, he added, as per PTI.
"While the university authorities are giving assurances of withdrawing cases against student protestors who only demanded holding of long overdue student union polls after five years, our students are getting arrested. This cannot continue," he told PTI.
Meanwhile, a Jadavpur University Teachers Association spokesperson confirmed Soumyadip's arrest on Wednesday. On March 2, a former JU student was arrested from his rented flat in South Kolkata on charges of being present on the campus during the protest and arson and taking part in the vandalism. The ex-student hails from Birbhum and currently works in an IT firm in Salt Lake.
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