West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the professor and assured him of action against the guilty (PTI)A day after a professor was allegedly assaulted by Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad members at Hira Lal Paul College in Konnagar, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called him up Thursday and assured him of action against the guilty. Based on video footages, two people have been arrested in this connection, said police.
Bengali professor Subrata Chattopadhyay Thursday said, “The CM has spoken to me over the phone. She informed that two people have already been arrested in this case and assured me of providing support. Those arrested should not get bail, then I will believe that the CM has kept her words.”
According to Chattopadhyay, TMCP members had kept a few students confined on Wednesday, after they had refused to raise “Mamata Banerjee zindabad”, “Jai Mamata” and “Trinamool zindabad” slogans. When he tried to help the confined students leave the campus, he was beaten up by TMCP members.
Chattopadhyay had also registered a complaint against TMCP members on Wednesday night. Following the incident, he had slammed the TMC government for allowing its students’ wing to misbehave with professors inside the campus.
On Thursday morning, TMC district president Dilip Yadav along with local TMC MLA Prabir Ghosal met Chattopadhyay. Yadav spoke to the professor inside the campus and apologised to him in public.
“Aami sobar hoye khoma chaichi (I am apologising to you on behalf of everyone),” Yadav told Chattopadhyay in front of students.
“It is an unfortunate incident. We won’t deny that a few outsiders had a role in it. If any member of the party’s union is found guilty, then that person will not be spared,” said MLA Ghosal.
Soon few students were seen touching the professor’s feet and assured him of all safety. On TMC leaders’ apology, Chattopadhyay said, “I appreciate that they had come and stood in my support, but I don’t not celebrate that.”
Meanwhile, police have confirmed the arrest of two people in connection with the case.
“We have arrested Sandeep Pal and Bijay Sarkar. They were produced in the court today and have been remanded in police custody for the next two days,” said a senior police official.
Sources said both Pal and Sarkar are former students.
Meanwhile, TMC has issued a showcause notice to local councillor Tanmay Deb Pramanik after Chattopadhyay had alleged that he was present inside the campus during the incident. He also alleged that Pramanik was often found to be involved in college-related matters.
