Another JU student arrested in TMC office arson case, campus protests escalate

The tension at Jadavpur University refuses to subside. The police have arrested another student in connection with the arson at the ‘Shikshabandhu’ office, a TMC-backed organization. Protesting this arrest, students demonstrated in front of the Jadavpur police station, accusing the police of falsely implicating students in fabricated cases.

The arrested student has been identified as Sauptik Chandra, a second-year civil engineering student. According to police sources, the arson incident at the ‘Shikshabandhu’ office took place on the night of March 1, following which a case was registered at the police station. On Tuesday, Sauptik was called for questioning at the Jadavpur police station, where he was arrested later in the evening. As soon as the news of his arrest spread, students began a protest on campus, which continued till Wednesday morning.

Several other students, including Sauptik, were summoned for questioning on Tuesday regarding the March 1 arson case. They arrived at the police station together in a rally. After interrogating all of them, the police arrested Sauptik. As soon as this news broke, a group of students gathered outside the police station and started protesting. They alleged that the police were falsely implicating students while neglecting their own complaints. Chanting slogans outside the police station, they accused the police of biased action. According to them, while their complaints were ignored, students were being repeatedly targeted.

It is noteworthy that on March 1, the annual conference of Webcupa, a TMC-backed teachers’ organization, was held at Jadavpur University. The event led to tensions on campus. When Education Minister Bratya Basu arrived for the program, left-wing student organizations like SFI, AISA, and DSF raised ‘Go Back’ slogans against him, further intensifying the situation. Allegedly, some students attacked the Education Minister’s vehicle, while students claim that a student was injured by his car. Later that night, the ‘Shikshabandhu’ office was set on fire, escalating the situation further.

So far, three students have been arrested in connection with this incident. The day after the incident, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma announced the arrest of Sahil Ali in the arson case, though he was later granted bail by the court. Subsequently, on March 12, the police arrested Soumyadeep, alias Ujaan, a first-year philosophy student. On Tuesday, as his judicial custody ended, he was presented in court, where he was granted bail. However, the police immediately filed a fresh petition in court seeking his re-arrest.