Row over ‘Bangladeshi’ slur in Kolkata: Two arrested for assault on varsity students

Kolkata: A group of students from Kolkata University's Carmichael Hostel were allegedly attacked near Sealdah here late on Wednesday night and branded as "Bangladeshis" by a group of shopkeepers and miscreants, triggering a political row with the Trinamool Congress linking the incident to a larger pattern of harassment of Bengalis outside the state.

According to police, the clash broke out when a hostel boarder went to buy mobile accessories from a shop under Sealdah bridge and a scuffle ensued after an argument over price with the shop staff.

As news of the altercation spread, more boarders from the hostel joined in, further intensifying the confrontation.

The students alleged that the shopkeepers, who were Hindi-speaking, abused them for speaking in Bengali, accused them of being "Bangladeshis" and then attacked them with hockey sticks, knives and cricket gear.

Several students were injured in the attack and admitted to the state-run Medical College and Hospital for treatment.

Police said two persons have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.

"The arrested persons are Dipak Kr Shaw (29), a staffer at a mobile cover shop and a resident of Narkeldanga, Imtiaz Ali (35), also from Narkeldanga, and another employee at the same shop," an officer said, adding that efforts are underway to apprehend others involved in the incident.

TMC leader and state party spokesperson Krishanu Mitra, in a social media post, condemned the attack as an instance of ethnic profiling.

"For attacking my fellow Carmichael Hostel student brothers and hurling racist abuses at them, two outsiders have been arrested so far. They are Dipak Kumar Shaw (29) and Imtiaz Ali (35), both residents of Narkeldanga. The search for the others is continuing. Thanks to police. I hope they will also identify and promptly arrest the remaining culprits," he posted on social media.

Earlier, Bangla Pokkho general secretary Garga Chatterjee reached Muchipara police station around 1.30 AM, warning that unless prompt action was taken, a sit-in would be staged outside the thana.

The incident comes amidst a politically charged backdrop, with the TMC in recent weeks accusing BJP-ruled states such as Assam, Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat of detaining and profiling Bengali-speaking migrants, branding them "illegal Bangladeshis."

The ruling party has sought to turn the issue into a Bengali identity plank, a strategy that helped it blunt the BJP's Hindutva narrative during the 2021 assembly elections.