kolkata

IIE DIGITAL DESK : The former student of Jadavpur University (JU), currently pursuing advanced research in Spain, was detained at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport early Wednesday morning as he returned to India. Identified as Hindol Majumdar, the academic was apprehended immediately upon landing, following the issuance of a Look Out Circular (LOC) detailing his alleged involvement in a violent incident earlier in the year.

According to Kolkata Police, who are now on the ground in Delhi to secure his custody, Majumdar was named in the FIR as the “prime conspirator,” accused of planning and orchestrating the attack on West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu’s convoy during a campus visit on March 1. 

That fateful day, when the minister came to JU to attend a meeting of the West Bengal College and University Professors’ Association, tensions ran high as Left-leaning student groups—including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI)—rallied for immediate student union elections. As the minister's vehicle tried to depart, roughly a hundred students surrounded his car, pelted it with shoes, slashed the tyres, and shattered its windshield. This left him trapped inside for nearly two hours and resulted in minor injuries due to glass shards.  A student was also reportedly hurt in the chaos when a vehicle in the convoy moved through the crowd. 

The FIR lodged at the Jadavpur police station details multiple alleged offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, and acts of mischief. Additionally, charges were framed under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act and the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (WBMPO) Act. 

Upon his arrival, immigration officials arrested Majumdar pursuant to the LOC and handed him over to Delhi Police. A contingent of officers from Jadavpur Police accompanied him and are expected to seek his remand in court, hoping to secure transit custody to bring him to Kolkata for further proceedings. He is scheduled to appear before a Delhi court tomorrow (Thursday). 

One senior Kolkata Police official confirmed, “He is a former student of JU and is pursuing higher studies in Spain. This morning, he was arrested at Delhi airport based on the LOC. Our team has arrived to complete the process, and he will be produced in court tomorrow for transit remand.” 

This arrest marks the fourth in connection with the protest-related violence. Earlier, one other former JU student and two current students were detained in March, though they have since been granted bail. 

Hindol Majumdar, a JU alumnus and current research scholar in Spain, was arrested at Delhi airport following his return to India. He faces serious charges for allegedly masterminding the violent obstruction of Education Minister Bratya Basu’s convoy on campus. The case, rooted in student unrest over union elections, involves multiple legal violations and has already prompted several arrests. Kolkata Police are now pursuing his transit custody from Delhi to Kolkata for further investigation.