Two people arrested for attacking Calcutta students, calling them ‘Bangladeshis’; incident sparks political row

Two individuals were arrested by police in Kolkata on Thursday (August 21) for allegedly attacking a group of Calcutta University students and calling them “Bangladeshis”.

The clash broke out between a group of students on Wednesday evening (August 20) when a student from Carmichael Hostel went to buy mobile accessories from a shop located under Sealdah Bridge, according to police officials, news agency PTI reported.

An argument broke out between the student and store staff over the price of the accessory, leading to a fight. The confrontation intensified when more students joined the group after obtaining the information.

The students alleged that they were called “Bangladeshis” and mistreated for speaking Bengali by Hindi-speaking staff, according to PTI. They were allegedly beaten with hockey sticks, cricket equipment and knives.

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“Those arrested are Dipak Kr Shaw (29), an employee of a mobile blanket shop and a resident of Narkeldanga, Imtiaz Ali (35), also of Narkeldanga, and another employee of the same shop,” an officer said, according to PTI.

The official further said that efforts were on to apprehend others involved in the incident.

Incident sparks political row

The incident sparked a political row in the state, with the Trinamool Congress party condemning the attack and linking it to reported harassment of Bengalis in different states.

TMC chief Krishanu Mitra termed the attack as an incident of ethnic profiling, in a social media post, according to PTI.

“For attacking my brother students of Carmichael Hostel and hurling racist abuse at them, two foreigners have been arrested so far. They are Dipak Kumar Shaw (29) and Imtiaz Ali (35), both residents of Narkeldanga,” Mitra said.

“The search for the others continues. Thanks to the police. I hope they will also quickly identify and arrest the remaining culprits,” he added.

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TMC has accused the BJP of recently detaining and profiling Bengali-speaking migrants in states where the latter rules.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also appealed to migrants to return promising them monetary assistance. She also made the problem worse by making it a question of identity.

West Bengal is expected to hold elections in early 2026.