4 students held before Nabanna march, BJP says will move court

The West Bengal Police said the students were arrested in the "interest of public safety and security" ahead of the 'Nabanna Abhijan' protest march to the state secretariat.

Doctors, Students , Interns and health workers of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital during the protest at the hospital premises in connection with a doctor killed inside the hospital, in Kolkata. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

The West Bengal Police arrested four student activists ahead of the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ protest march to the state secretariat on Tuesday, saying that they were trying to “orchestrate large-scale violence”. The Opposition BJP said it would move court over the arrests.

In a post on X, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP said four students —Subhojit Ghosh, Pulokesh Pandit, Goutam Senapati, and Pritam Sarkar — suddently went missing after Monday midnight. He said they were distributing food to volunteers at the Howrah railway station.

“Neither they can be traced nor are they answering their phones. We apprehend that they may have been arrested/detained by the Mamata Police. If something happens to them, Mamata Police will be held accountable. The families have approached Hon’ble Calcutta High Court. See you in Court Mamata Police,” he said.

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Countering Adhikari’s claims, West Bengal Police posted on X, “A certain political leader has been trying to create a false narrative about four students who have apparently been missing since last night. The truth is, nobody is missing. The four were planning to orchestrate large-scale violence during the Nabanna Abhijan today, and were involved in a conspiracy of murder and attempted murder.”

The police said the four students were arrested in the “interest of public safety and security”, and their families had been informed.

Also Read | Kolkata rape-murder case: After new video, Opp says evidence erased; cops claim not of crime spot

‘Nabanna Abhijan’, organised by the student forum ‘Paschim Banga Chatra Samaj’, comes at a time when the West Bengal government is facing the heat over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor in Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Addressing a press conference on Monday at Nabanna — the state secretariat building in Howrah — Additional Director General of Police (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar termed the rally “illegal” and accused the event of attempting to stir widespread unrest in Kolkata.

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The rally demands the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The West Bengal Junior Doctors Forum, meanwhile, distanced itself from’Nabanna Abhijan’ and declared that its members would not participate in the rally. Instead, it called for a separate massive rally in Kolkata on Wednesday to demand justice for the rape-murder victim.

Sweety Kumari

Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More

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