CU Students Beaten, Branded ‘Bangladeshi’ for Speaking Bengali

Kolkata: A group of shopkeepers beat four students of Calcutta University (CU), labelling them ‘Bangladeshi’ for speaking Bengali. The shocking incident took place at Sealdah in the heart of the city on Wednesday night. Two of the attackers were arrested by the police on Thursday after getting a complaint from the students.

One of the CU students, who is a boarder of Carmichael Hostel, had gone to a shop beneath Sealdah Bridge near the railway station to buy a mobile cover at around 10 pm. An altercation took place between him and the shopkeeper, who he said was speaking in Hindi, while bargaining the price.

The trader allegedly abused and assaulted him and also called him a ‘Bangladeshi’ for speaking Bengali. Humiliated, the student went back to the hostel and returned to the same shop with his fellows for confrontation. The local shopkeepers however attacked them with hockey sticks and knives. Four students were injured and were rushed to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital where they were treated.

Later one of them, Elias Akhtar, said that they had merely asked the shopkeeper to ‘apologise’ to them for his act as Bengali is the local language. But the shopkeeper refused, backed by others. Another injured student Afridi Mollah recalled that the shopkeepers were still calling them ‘Bangladeshi'.

They later lodged a complaint at Muchipara police station and staged a protest outside demanding the arrest of all the accused. The cops initiated a case and arrested Dipak Kumar Shaw (29) and Imtiaz Ali (35). Both are from Narkeldanga and work as staff at the mobile shop. They were remanded in police custody till August 26 by the Bankshall Court following production during the day.