Amid rising political heat over the death of a first-year Jadavpur University student, the Kolkata Police arrested four more persons in connection with the case. Three former students of the varsity are among the four held on Tuesday night during multiple operations conducted by teams of the city police, police said.
With these arrests, the Kolkata Police apprehended a total of nine people in the case. "We arrested them last night after they gave incoherent replies to our officers during questioning. It seems that they were actively involved in the death of the student. We will produce them in a court later in the day," the officer told PTI.
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The 18-year-old undergraduate student died last week after falling from the balcony of a hostel. The city police have taken cognisance of JU students' social media posts, including photographs, which suggest that there was an element of sexual harassment in the ragging of the deceased.
The incident has triggered a political slugfest with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blaming the Left-backed student bodies over the incident.
"Jadavpur University is surely a reputed institution and I do not blame most of the students there, not the common student. However, a small section belonging to the CPI(M) fold consider it their own place. They think it is their birthright to torture young students who come from rural areas. They don't allow CCTV cameras, or police inside the campus," Banerjee said.
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A delegation of the ruling Trinamool Congress led by state Education Minister Bratya Basu on Wednesday met the family of the victim and assured all possible help.
PIL filed in Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court agreed to hear a PIL filed regarding ragging in educational institutions on Monday.
While mentioning the plea in court today, Senior Advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay claimed that CCTVs present on the campus earlier have been destroyed. "The CCTV that were there earlier have been broken, outsiders, ex students who passed 9-10 years ago are staying in hostels. Everything is in the dark. Students are subject to ragging. It has gone to a horrible place," the advocate said.
