JU violence: Student in custody arrested in Azad Kashmir graffiti case

NEW DELHI: Jadavpur University (JU) student Soumyadeep Mahanta, who is already in police custody in a case of vandalism in the varsity, was on Tuesday arrested for his alleged involvement in putting up "Azad Kashmir" graffiti on the institute’s wall, an officer said.

The Kolkata Police on Tuesday arrested another student in the vandalism case, the second one after Mahanta to be picked up in connection with the incident on March 1 when an office of TMC affiliated non-teaching staff union was set ablaze.

Mahanta, who was granted bail when produced at a city court during the day, was "shown arrest" in the graffiti case.

"We have arrested Soumyadeep Mahanta in the graffiti on Azad Kashmir matter. He would remain behind the bar. The probe is on," the officer said. Mahanta, arrested last week on charges of arson and vandalism, was in police remand till Tuesday.

Student protest against police actions

Souptik Chanda, second year civil engineering student of JU , was arrested on the charge of his role in the arson. He was one of the 14 students summoned in connection with their probe into the March 1 student unrest. The summons sparked a huge protest staged by JU students outside the Jadavpur Police Station on Tuesday afternoon.

"This is nothing but an attack on the rights of the students to protest. The police are falsely implicating us," one of the agitators said. Violence broke out on March 1 during TMC’s West Bengal College and University Professors’ Union AGM where West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu was also present.

Two students were injured after a car in education minister Bratya Basu's convoy allegedly grazed past them during a melee. Police have lodged an FIR against Basu, the person driving his vehicle and Professor Om Prakash Mishra, in connection with the trouble at the JU.

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.