10 arrested for assault on Sanskrit college student

Ten persons were arrested here on Friday for alleged assault on Debanjan Ballav -- a Sanskrit college student who was accused of heckling Union minister Babul Supriyo at Jadavpur University on September 19.

In his complaint, Ballav, who has been in the eye of the storm over the JU campus episode, claimed that he and his girlfriend were dragged out of a bus and assaulted by the activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) near Burdwan on Wednesday.

"Based on Ballav's complaint, we have arrested 10 persons. We are still investigating the matter," East Midnapore Superintendent of Police Bhaskar Mukherjee said.

He, however, declined to comment on whether those arrested were members of the ABVP.

The right-wing students' outfit, on its part, said Ballav's charges were "baseless and politically motivated".

Supriyo was shown black flags and heckled by a section of students last month on Jadavpur University Campus, where he had gone to address a seminar organised by the ABVP.

The next day the Union minister tweeted a picture of the Sanskrit college student pulling him by his hair during the scuffle.

Ballav's mother had appealed to Supriyo not to harm his son's career and the minister assured him of the same.

The undergraduate student, however, refused to apologise to Supriyo, claiming that he had raised his hand in self defence.