Mamata calls up assaulted professor, 2 arrested for attack

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called up Subrata Chatterjee, professor of Nabagram Hiralal Paul College in Konnagar, who was thrashed by some students on Wednesday and assured him of all necessary action.

According to sources, after he lodged a complain at the Uttarpara police station, two youths have been arrested but are not enrolled students of the college. They were produced before the court on Thursday and were remanded to two days' police custody. On Thursday, Hooghly District Trinamool Congress president Dilip Yadav met with Chatterjee and apologised for what happened on Wednesday.

He told him that if any member from the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) is found connected with the incident, necessary legal action will be taken and also, the party would act stern. Yadav also informed that Chatterjee had alleged that the local councillor, identified as Tanmay Deb, was behind the whole act. After learning about this, Deb has been show-caused by the party leadership.

"Nobody will be spared. The guilty persons will have to face its consequences. Law will take its own course and the party will also act against them appropriately," said Yadav.

Apart from Yadav, MLA Uttarpara Prabir Ghosal also met Chatterjee and apologised. Later, he said: "As far as I know, those two who have been arrested had passed out in 2016. There were several outsiders on Wednesday. They need to be identified."

Srikanta Samanta, principal of the college, stated that the two youths who have been arrested are casual students of the university. They are not enrolled in the college and also have no reason to enter the premises. Despite that, they used old identity cards to enter the college illegally. However, Chatterjee who was frightened to take any names on Wednesday thanked Banerjee for her assurance and said: "The Chief Minister is our head. I have faith in her. I am thankful to her that she has initiated these steps."

Earlier, Banerjee had warned that any violence or humiliation of professors and staff of educational institutions will not be tolerated. If any such case occurs, stringent action will be taken.

On Thursday, state Education minister Partha Chatterjee said: "I have spoken to the Chief Minister. The government will not tolerate the humiliation of any teacher anywhere in the state."