A college student was allegedly lynched to death during a clash between student unions of Congress and Trinamool Congress over felicitation of West Bengal minister Soumen Kumar Mahapatra at a college at Sabang in West Midnapore district on Friday.
Five persons were arrested late Friday evening in connection with the incident, a police officer said but did not reveal their political affiliations. The five were apprehended in connection with the alleged lynching of Krishna Prasad Jana, a third year student of BA of Sabang College.
Both Chhatra Parishad, Congress’s student wing, and Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) have claimed that Jana was their member. District Congress president Bikash Bhuniya claimed the student had protested against felicitation of Mohapatra, West Bengal minister in-charge of water resources, and was beaten to death by TMCP.
Bhuniya said late on Friday night that police did not arrest the real culprits while the TMCP said the arrested men were not from the party. TMCP district working president Prodyut Ghosh further claimed the student union was not involved in the clash.
“The clash was the result of internal feud within Chhatra Parishad,” he said and claimed that four members of TMCP were hospitalised after it. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described Jana’s death as the “most unfortunate incident” and ordered police inquiry into the matter.
“Its a sad incident. I strictly condemn it. I have asked the police to inquire into it and take stern action,” Banerjee told reporters on her arrival in Kolkata at the state secretariat from North Bengal. Krishna Prasad Jana, a third year student of Sabang College, was today beaten to death during a clash between students.
“As per reports I received from the administration, Jana was beaten up by a bat inside a locked students union room. The college student union is run by Chhatra Parishad of the Congress party,” she said.
“I rang up the senior Congress leader and local MLA Manas Bhuniya expressing concern and assured him of stern police action. The police must find out the reason of the murder,” Banerjee said