Kolkata: A single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Wednesday, directed a student of Jadavpur University (JU) to cooperate in the ongoing investigation by Kolkata Police in the case of ruckus within the university campus on March 1.
On March 10, a student of Jadavpur University approached the Calcutta High Court accusing the Kolkata Police of excesses against the students of the university, including him, in the name of investigation.
The matter came up for hearing at the single judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on Wednesday. At the end of the hearing, Justice Ghosh said the court would not interfere in the matter, and the student concerned would have to cooperate with the investigating officials.
Justice Ghosh also said that if the court gives relief to the petitioner in the matter from investigation just because the latter is a student, it would set a bad precedence. The next hearing is on April 4. Justice Ghosh directed all parties in the case to file their respective affidavits by that date.
On Wednesday, the counsel for the petitioner also made an appeal to the court for direction to the investigating officials to return the mobile phone of his client. The counsel argued that since the Supreme Court, too, had identified the mobile phone as a “personal device”, how could the cops ask a student to submit his mobile phone?
On this issue, Justice Ghosh observed that the investigating officials will have to return the mobile phone to the petitioner even if it will be taken by the cops for investigation. Justice Ghosh observed that the cops will have to ensure that the petitioner is not constrained to purchase a new mobile phone following the development.
The ruckus broke out within the Jadavpur University campus on Saturday (March 1) when the State Education Minister Bratya Basu’s car was allegedly stopped after it entered the campus, and a scuffle followed.
The students were demanding immediate elections for the university’s students’ council.
The protesting students alleged that while Basu decided to leave the campus in the face of the protests, his vehicle deliberately hit two agitating students, following which they were severely injured and had to be hospitalized.
Amid the protests, the Minister received minor injuries and fell sick. He was taken to the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital and was discharged later.
(IANS)
