HC moved seeking ‘unconditional bail’ for DYFI leader

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday admitted a petition seeking unconditional bail of DYFI leader and CPIM state committee member, Kalatan Dasgupta who was arrested on early morning of September 14 for allegedly plotting an attack on junior doctors protesting in front of Swasthya Bhavan at Salt Lake.

The Bench of Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj granted permission to file the petition which may be heard on Wednesday. Dasgupta’s counsel submitted that the arrest was illegal and demanded his immediate release without conditions.

The arrest was based on an audio clip shared by Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh on September 13. The clip purportedly featured a conversation where two individuals were heard planning an attack on the junior doctors returning from the state secretariat, Nabanna, on September 12. Ghosh had alleged the clip proved that opposition forces were conspiring to defame the Mamata Banerjee-led government and the TMC.

Dasgupta was taken into custody in the early morning of September 14. Dasgupta and another individual, Sanjib Das, were arrested in the same case and produced at the Bidhannagar Court the same day and subsequently taken into police custody. The case for Dasgupta’s release was filed in the court on Tuesday.

Dasgupta has maintained that his arrest is part of a conspiracy to divide the movement for justice for the rape and murder of the junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. He has called the allegations against him “baseless”.