Kolkata: The police in West Bengal’s Kolkata on Saturday arrested 11 people in connection with the unrest during the procession of students and youth a day before.
Police said that none of the arrested were students and two of the accused were planning to flee to another state. They were arrested from Andal in West Burdwan district.
The police action came within 24 hours after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari warned strong action against those who were responsible for the unrest.
Among the arrested is an accused named Mohammad Afroz. He is a resident of Rajabagan area of Metiabruz in Kolkata.
The police identified him after seeing the video footage.
Since Friday, the police have been searching for him. Finally, the police received information that the accused youth is in Andal in West Burdwan.
Accordingly, the investigators raided Andal and arrested him.
Mohammad Azad, a resident of Garden Reach area in Kolkata, was also arrested from Andal.
On Friday night, Chief Minister Adhikari warned of strict action following which he made a statement in the state Assembly on Saturday morning.
Among the five ‘goons’ that the Chief Minister named in connection with Friday’s unrest is Mohammad Afroz of Rajabagan, calling him as a ‘notorious miscreant’.
Among the remaining arrested is Arshad Ali (50), a resident of Amherst Street police station area in Kolkata.
Four people have been arrested from Jorasanko police station area identified as — Irfan Khurshid, Mohammad Alamgir, Imran Ahmed and Khalid Reza.
In addition, Mohammad Moinuddin from Tiljala, Zamir Ahmed from Beniapukur and Mohsin Khan and Deepak Bhowmik from Karaya have also been arrested.
The Chief Minister told the State Assembly on Saturday morning that 70 people who participated in the procession have been identified, who are not students.
According to the Chief Minister, none of the 70 people are students or members of the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ (CJP). They have no connection with the NEET movement.
A procession was organised in Esplanade in Kolkata on Friday against corruption in education and NEET question leaks.
It is alleged that an attempt was made to attack the police from there.
It is further alleged that journalists were also attacked.
A total of seven cases have been filed in Friday’s incident — six at Hare Street police station and one at Entally in Kolkata.
The Anti-Goon Act has been added to the cases registered against the accused.
The state government has applied the recently passed law in the state Assembly for the first time in this incident.
On Saturday morning, the Chief Minister in the State Assembly said, “Everyone saw that the police were restrained. That was the order. They did not fall into any trap. There was a procession. After reaching the Dorina Crossing, shoes and bottles started being thrown from there. Journalists were targeted. They wanted the police to lathicharge, to play a drama. But the police did not give that opportunity. Six journalists were seriously injured. They have been treated at the hospital.”
(IANS)
