Four Calcutta University students assaulted after being called ‘Bangladeshi’ in heated exchange near Sealdah station

Four Calcutta University (CU) students were allegedly assaulted near the Sealdah railway station in the heart of Kolkata and were reportedly called “Bangladeshi” for speaking in Bengali on Wednesday (August 20) night. 

One of the students, a resident of the Carmichael Hostel of CU, had reportedly visited a mobile shop under the Sealdah bridge on Wednesday night to buy mobile accessories. The student alleged that while bargaining, the argument intensified and the seller called him a “Bangladeshi” for speaking in Bengali. 

The student later went back to the shop with three of his friends, and all four were allegedly attacked and assaulted. The four were taken to the Medical College and Hospital for primary treatment. 

Students protest

Tensions escalated when the other students of the hostel learnt about the assault and staged a protest outside the Muchipara Police Station. They also filed a written complaint with the local police. 

“They were speaking in Hindi and called me Bangladeshi and said I should do anything against him if I have the capacity. They snatched my mobile and tore my clothes,” Afridi Mollah, one of the assaulted students, told reporters. He also alleged that the sellers attacked him and his friends. 

“We asked them to speak in Bengali after they kept speaking in Hindi, we said we do not understand Hindi. We feel unsafe because we are speaking in our mother tongue, Bengali,” Masum Miya, another assaulted student, said.

He alleged that they were tagged as Bangladeshi for speaking in Bengali. He also alleged that the perpetrators had sharp objects and hockey sticks, which they used to intimidate the students. 

According to sources, two of the accused were arrested on Thursday morning and are set to be produced at a city court during the day. Kolkata Police sources at the Muchipara Police Station confirmed the same with The Hindu.