Tag: jharkhand

Jharkhand: Written commitment sought to ban NPR/NRC, declare CAA black law.

Source – counterview.net

Country-wide agitations against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)/ National Register of Citizens (NRC) took a new turn in Ranchi on the Republic Day as thousands gathered in Idgah Maidan (Kadru) for a long evening of protest songs, poems and plays. The programme, “Ek Shaam Samvidhan ke Naam”, was held to reassert the constitutional values of liberty, equality and solidarity at a time when Indian democracy is allegedly under threat.

The event was organized by a wide coalition of individuals and organisations that are active in the movement against CAA/NRC in Jharkhand. Hundreds of women who are sitting on a continuous Shaheen Bagh-style sit-in in Kadru also joined.

The event began with a painting festival for children and their posters were displayed across the venue. The programme also included a rich series of songs, poems, plays, and short films around the theme of communal harmony. Pamphlets on dangers of CAA/NRC were distributed. The cultural programme started with Jhakhandi beats on nagadas and dhol-maandal by Elina and her friends.

These cultural performances brought together some of Jharkhand’s best artists and cultural activists. Veteran folk-singer Madhu Mansuri ‘Hasmukh’, who received Padmashri on Saturday, extended support to the protests with his well-known song, “Gaon Chhodab Nahi”. He said that in Jharkhandi society, different communities have always helped and supported each other. Filmmaker Meghnath, founder of AKHRA and one of the composers of the song, quipped that now the protest anthem should be “Desh Chodab Nabi.”

The Ranchi Youth Fellowship, a choir performed gospel music, while a performer sang bhajans. Children from different mohallas were also selected to sing patriotic melodies. Student group ‘Kahab to Lag Jayi Dhak Se’ who have been part of several anti-CAA/NRC/National Population Register (NPR) protests across street corners of Ranchi sang a combination of inspiring verses. Vishwanath and Anil Anshuman performed protest songs for social rights. A band, Amazing Life, regaled the people with a peppy song of solidarity.

Some well-known Jharkhandi poets supported the protest with their words. Jacinta Kerketta has consistently questioned state narratives on tribal development. Anuj Lugun’s poetry has supported indigenous renaissance and resistance against fascism and oppression. Prof Mithilesh, Aloka Kujur, Mehul and others also recited their own poetic compositions.

A topical play was also performed by the Indian People’s Theatre Association. The programme also saw performances by Tabish Ali, a rapper, Chandosree, Aamir Ali, Amreen Azad, Zohra and many others.

A civil rights release commented, “In Jharkhand, in the last five years, a climate of fear and hate has been created especially against adivasi and minority communities due to a series of inhuman mob lynchings and violence. In this charged atmosphere and with the plans of CAA/NRC and especially after the series of recent attacks on university campuses, street protests have erupted in the state and nationwide.”

It added, “Across Jharkhand, every day in the New Year from Ranchi to Daltonganj, Jamshedpur to Dhanbad, Bokaro to Ramgarh there have been spontaneous protests by students, civil society, unions, and especially women.”

Afzal Anis, one of the leading activists against CAA/NRC said, “In the last two months, many Indians and Muslims in particular have taken to the streets with the tiranga flag and readings of the preamble of the constitution, as we realise that only if the constitution is saved will the country be saved. Since independence never before have the symbols of our democracy been so visible across India”.

As the evening progressed, even as Ranchiites enjoyed the cultural performances, one of the main demands was for the newly-elected Jharkhand government to reassure the fraught sentiments of minority and tribal communities by issuing a written commitment to ban NPR/NRC activities in the state.

They also wanted the assembly to pass a resolution to repeal the CAA. Throughout the programme, the air was rent with slogans against this an unconstitutional “black law” as a threat to the secular ethos of Indian democracy in the 71st year of the Republic.

The truth behind Pathalgadi violence in Jharkhand.

Source – outlookindia.com

The Pathalgadi movement was started to save the land and forest areas in Jharkhand, but now the movement is also marked by a series of violence. The purpose of the Pathalgadi movement was to make the Gram Sabhas omnipotent in tribal areas to reclaim their rights to ”jal, jangal and zameen”. The people wanted the Gram Sabhas to grant permission for mining and development work in their tribal areas and not by the elected government.

After the killing of seven people for opposing the movement in West Singhbhum recently, there are fears of violence in other areas too. When the Hemant Soren government came to power, it announced the withdrawal of the old sedition cases against Pathalgadi activists. This, however, caused much resentment in the tribal community.

Pathalgadi hit the headlines when seven Pathalgadi opponents were killed in Burugulikela village in West Singhbhum district on January 19. Activists working in the tribal areas say even now there is confusion on whether the killings took place because of the Pathalgadi movement.

The police are still investigating the killing of seven villagers in Burugulikela village, about 80 km from the district headquarters, but they have so far investigated it from the angle of personal enmity.

Sources however said that the Pathalgadi movement may be the main reason behind the killings. The clash took place between the supporters and the opponents of the movement over the development works to be carried out without any interference from the tribal community. Police sources said that a section of villagers, reposing complete faith in the Gram Sabha, may be behind the killings.

Jarom Gerald Kujur, Secretary of the Central Jana Sangh Samiti, an NGO working for the tribals, said that the incident is under investigation, hence it cannot be linked to the Pathalgadi movement yet.

He said, “Pathalgadi is a very old tradition. The Birsa Munda Samaj mentions its rule by placing large stones outside the village, which is called Pathalgadi, while the Oraon Samaj collects a heap of stones, known as keystones.”

He said that these stones indicate the boundary of the villages.

Kujur said that the history of the tribals shows that the Munda tribals in Singhbhum and Khunti areas had been trying to establish a self-governing system since the time of the British, and the Pathalgadi movement is a product of that struggle.

The movement which started from the Khunti region of Jharkhand, spread to other areas – Gumla, Shimdega, West Singhbhum in the course of time.

People say that the government must understand the sensitivity and take appropriate steps, otherwise this age-old custom may deviate to a turbulent and violent path.

“The government neither understood the sensibility of it nor is it understanding it now,” said James Herange, a Jharkhand social activist and convener of the Jharkhand NREGA Watch.

“This peaceful majority tribal area is once again becoming turbulent. The government needs to convince all, including the opposition,” he said.

He said that Pathalgadi is not a new practice. It is actually said to be the monuments of those stones, which have a very ancient history. Even today it is practiced in tribal societies across many states.

Herange said: “There was fear and anger in the tribal society against the government when it introduced amendments to the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT) 1908 and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act 1949. The tribal community feared that the government was going to hand over the rights of forest and land to the capitalists in the name of mining and industrialisation.”

Panic gripped the Bundu and Tamar communities and the possibility of bloody conflict increased in these areas after the government”s move.

District Collector of West Singhbhum, Arwa Rajkamal, said that investigation is still on in the Burugulikela incident which makes it clear that the clash happened in the garb of Pathalgadi movement when two tribal groups came face to face over the development works in the area.

The Pathalgadi movement was revived to protest tribal land rights in 2017-18, when huge engraved stones were erected outside the villages following the amendments in tribal laws. The tribals wrote on the stones the rights enshrined under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution which ensured self-governance through Gram Sabhas to safeguard and preserve traditions and customs of the tribal people and their cultural identity.

The movement turned violent and a fierce struggle took place between the police and the tribals after the government”s move to amend the tribal laws. The movement may have calmed down for now, but the villagers never forgot the police brutality that they suffered.

The Khunti police registered a total of 19 cases related to the Pathalgadi movement, in which 172 people were booked. Now after the Soren government withdrew all the cases, many believe it was done in a hurry.

Jharkhand murders not due to Pathalgadi, result of family rivalry.

Source – nationalheraldindia.com

Contrary to national media reports about the seven murders in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand, allegedly by the supporters of Pathalgadi movement, the gruesome killings have their origins in a rivalry between the two families. They were reportedly murdered on January 19, but it was found out only two days ago.

The massacre of the seven persons in Burugulikera, identified as James Budh (30), Etwa Budh (27), Lomba Budh (25), Koje Topno (23), Nirmal Budh (25), Jabra Budh (22), and Bobas Lomga (25) was a result of village conflict, said the police. The village falls under Gudri police station, which is at least 75 km from the district headquarter Chaibasa.

“The murders cannot be linked to Pathalgadi movement, but an incident of rivalry between two families – the current village head and his family was murdered by the earlier village head’s family,” said Murari Lal Meena, ADG-Operations.

The Pathalgadi movement is prevalent in the Burugulikera village, but these seven were murdered due to opposition between themselves. Pathalgadi, a custom to erect stone plaques amongst tribals, resurrected in 2017 in Khunti when villagers began to erect plaques with their rights engraved on it.

The previous Raghubar Das-led BJP government had slapped thousands of sedition cases on the supporters of the movement. However, soon after the new Chief Minister Hemant Soren was sworn in, he quashed all of these cases.

The prime accused in the case is former mukhiya Mukta Horo and her husband, Ranshi Budh. However, it must also be mentioned that Ranshi Budh supported Pathalgadi movement, but the murdered James Budh was the current village mukhiya and he was not in favour of Ranshi Budh’s form of Pathalgadi.

On January 16, a meeting was called in the village by the former mukhiya, which was opposed by James Budh and his supporters. To retaliate against the meeting, James Budh’s supporters vandalised five house and also beat up Mukta Horo’s family members.

“After vandalising the homes, a meeting was called to discuss the incident. Several of those who had vandalised Mukta Horo’s house did not turn up for the meeting. This enraged Ranshi Budh, who beat up seven and beheaded them in the neighbouring forest,” said Indrajit Mahato, Chaibasa Superintendent of Police.

A day after the decapitated bodies were discovered, Burugulikera village appeared divided over the incident. According to the villagers, James Budh wanted to ensure that villagers had access to subsidised ration, government benefits and additionally wanted to enrol young children in schools.

“However, Ranshi Budh, who is a part of an ideology called ‘Kutumbh family’, which has its roots in Gujarat. Ranshi Budh, who while being in favour of the Pathalgadi movement, was against villagers getting aid from the government or any identification cards or even participating in the voting exercise. The followers of this ideology state that they are a government unto themselves” explained an activist Aloka.

In other regions of Jharkhand, where Pathalgadi is prevalent, it is not as contentious as it is in this region. In this region, a section of the Pathalgadi supporters are against any government assistance, unlike in areas like Khunti, where Pathalgadi supporters have voter IDs and other government documents.

Jharkhand: Babulal Marandi withdraws support from Hemant Soren govt, says Congress poaching his MLAs.

Source – indiatoday.in

Nearly a month after joining hands with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress to be part of the Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) (JVM) today walked out of the alliance and accused the Congress of trying to poach its MLAs.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, JVM president Babulal Marandi said the Congress, which is part of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand, is trying to break the JVM.

The letter read: “Our party Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) had on December 24, 2019, gave a letter of unconditional support to the government under your (Hemant Soren) leadership. But the Congress, which is a part of the UPA, is trying to break our MLAs, which the newspapers have published prominently today. In this context, our party has reviewed its support and decided to withdraw support to the UPA government under your leadership.”

This announcement came a day after two JVM MLAs-Pradip Yadav and Bandhu Tirkey-met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, fuelling speculations that they are set to join the Congress. The two also met Rahul Gandhi and Congress Jharkhand in-charge RPN Singh.

The JVM had won three seats in the recently held Jharkhand assembly election. If Yadav and Tirkey join Congress, Marandi will be the lone JVM MLA in Jharkhand.

Speculations are also rife that the JVM may merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the main opposition party in the state at present.

However, JVM’s withdrawing support will not have any impact on the government as it has 47 MLAs in the 81-member house.

“Our party has extended support to the Hemant Soren government. But its coalition partner, Congress is attempting to poach our MLAs. In view of that, the party has decided to withdraw its support,” JVM general secretary Saroj Singh told reporters in Ranchi.

He said the party has also decided to remove Pradip Yadav as the legislature party leader in the state assembly and sent a letter to the Speaker in this connection.

On the two MLAs meeting Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Congress spokesman Alok Kumar Dubey told PTI, “The two leaders got the blessings of our senior leaders. They are welcome to join the party.”

“After consultations with Jharkhand Congress president Rameshwar Oraon and CLP leader Alamgir Alam further actions will set in motion,” he said.

While Tirkey, MLA from Mandar in Ranchi district, was expelled by the party on Tuesday last, Yadav, elected from Poreyahat in Godda district, is still its leader.

The development has come at a time when speculation is rife in the media that JVM-P may merge with the saffron party and Marandi could be named as new leader of the BJP legislature party in the Jharkhand assembly.

Significantly, the 25-member BJP legislature party has not yet named its leader.

The JVM, however, has denied the media reports that the party was heading to merge with the BJP.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren orders SIT probe after Pathalgarhi supporters kill 7 villagers.

Source – indiatoday.in

upporters of “Pathalgarhi” movement, armed with lathis and axes, kidnapped seven villagers and later killed them in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand for allegedly opposing their stir, police said on Wednesday.

With the horrific incident in Burugulikera village,over 175 km from capital Ranchi, triggering widespread outrage, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren ordered setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to find reasons behind the massacre of seven innocent villagers.

Hemant Soren also directed the officials to help families of the victims.

“Set up a special investigation team (SIT) to get a breakthrough about the real reasons behind the incident and identify the guilty. Help families of the victims,” an official release said quoting Soren.

The tragedy coming barely days after the JMM-Congress- RJD coalition government assumed power in the state drew sharp reaction from the BJP.

Newly-elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J P Nadda condemned the mass killing and set up a six-member party team to visit the place and submit a report within a week, a press statement issued by the saffron party’s national General Secretary Arun Singh said.

The members of the team are — Jaswant Singh Bhabhor (MP from Gujarat), Samir Oraon (MP from Jharkhand), Bharati Pawar (Parliamentarian from Maharashtra), Gomti Saai (Chhattisgarh Lok Sabha member), Joan Barla (LS member from West Bengal) and former Jharkhand minister and MLA Nilkanth Singh Munda — the release said.

Giving detail of the event, Inspector General of Police (Operation) Saket Kumar Singh said that the policemen reached Burugulikera village on Tuesday night after getting information about the killing of seven natives.

After murdering, the killers had dumped bodies of the victims in a nearby forest.

A panchayat representative was among those massacred, Saket Kumar Singh said.

After an overnight search operation, bodies of the seven villagers were recovered from the forest, four km from the village, Saket Kumar Singh said.

There was a meeting over ‘Pathalgarhi’ movement in the village on Tuesday when a dispute had arisen, West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Indrajit Mahata said.

Following the development, supporters of the movement kidnapped seven villagers and later killed them with the help of lathis and axes, Saket Kumar Singh said.

Pathalgarhi is a name given to a tribal protest which seeks autonomy for village sabhas (Gramsabhas). Those demanding Pathalgarhi want no laws of the land be applicable on the tribal people in the area.

The Pathalgarhis reject government rights over their forests and rivers.

As part of the movement, Pathalgarhis erect a stone plaque or signboard outside the village/area, declaring the village as sovereign territory and prohibiting the entry of the outsiders.

Hemant Soren had earlier in the day said: “Law is above all and the guilty will not be spared. The police is investigating the matter.”

A high-level meeting will be convened to prevent recurrence of such an incident, Hemant Soren said.

Pathalgarhi movement had hit the national headlines in the middle of 2019.

On June 19, five NGO workers were allegedly abducted and gangraped by armed men associated with the Pathalgarhi movement. They were performing a street play at a school in Khunti district of Jharkhand when they were targetted.

The raiders had branded the NGO workers as “dikus” (outsiders).

On June 26, another group of armed Pathalgarhis had abducted three security personnel posted at the former BJP MP Karia Munda’s home in Khunti. They were released later.

The Pathalgarhi groups have been active across four districts of Jharkhand – Khunti, Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbhum.

All of them are Maoist-infested districts. Soon after being sworn in as the chief minister on December 29 last, Hemant Soren had announced his decision to withdraw all sedition cases registered during the Pathalgarhi movement and protests against the amendments to Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act) and Santhal Paragana Tenancy Act (SPT Act).

Former Chief Minister Raghubar Das condemned the Burugulikera massacre and demanded immediate arrest of the killers.

“I feel very painful at the barbaric killing of seven innocent villagers at Burugulikera in West Singhbhum district,” Raghubar Das said in a statement.

Raghubar Das said that the incident raises “a question mark on the law and order situation in the state”.

BJPs Scheduled Tribe Morcha national vice president Arun Oraon also strongly criticised the killing.

“The BJP will send a partys central team to visit the spot to collect pieces of evidence and look into them,” he told reporters here during the day.

The Morchas national secretary and MLA, Koche Munda, alleged that the incident reflected the poor law and order situation in the state, “boosting the morale of anti-social elements”.

Ranji Trophy Roundup: Delhi hand Vidarbha their first defeat since 2016, Jharkhand beat Uttarakhand.

Source – indiatoday.in

Nitish Rana displayed his T20 repertoire in full as he smashed a heroic unbeaten 68-ball 105 to help Delhi chase down a stiff target of 347 and win their Ranji Trophy group A encounter against defending champions Vidarbha at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Wednesday.

Resuming at 10/0, Delhi played out of their skins to down Vidarbha with Rana hitting eight fours and seven sixes in his blistering knock which would make all Kolkata Knight Riders fans and staff happy.

Besides Rana, openers Kunal Chandela and Hiten Dalal scored 75 and 82 respectively and shared a 163-run opening wicket stand to set the platform for Dhruv Shorey’s side.

Shorey himself scored 44 as Delhi blunted Umesh Yadav’s threat with the ball and recorded a memorable win.

Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan brought up his maiden triple century in first-class cricket to lead Mumbai’s fightback against Uttar Pradesh on day four in their Group B game. The match ended in a tie but it was Sarfaraz who stole the show as he remained unbeaten on 301 from 391 deliveries with the help of 30 fours and eight sixes.

Sarfaraz Khan’s 301 not out is now the second-highest score in first-class cricket while batting at number six. The highest is by Karun Nair who hit 328 in the 2014/15 Ranji Trophy final also at the Wankhede Stadium.

Manoj Tiwary also scored a triple hundred, his first too, for Bengal two days back at Kalyani in West Bengal.

Mumbai were in trouble at 16/2 at one stage with Jay Bista and Shashank departing early in pursuit of UP’s 625/8d.

But from there on it was the 22-year-old Sarfaraz all the way as he took charge and made mincemeat of all the bowlers.

Hardik Tamore (51), Siddhesh Lad (98) and Aditya Tare (97) added solidarity to the innings.

In other matches, Maharashtra thrashed Assam by 218 runs in Group C as Jharkhand beat Uttarakhand by six wickets in another Group C game.

Gujarat humbled Punjab by 110 runs in Group A.

Pathalgarhi supporters killed seven villagers in Jharkhand: Police

Source – telanganatoday.com

Ranchi: Supporters of “Pathalgarhi” movement, armed with lathis and axes,kidnapped seven villagers and later killed them in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand for allegedly opposing their stir, police said on Wednesday.

Inspector General of Police (Operation) Saket Kumar Singh said the policemen reached Burugulikera village on Tuesday night after getting information about the killing of seven natives. After murdering, the killers had dumped bodies of the victims in a forest.

A panchayat representative was among those massacred, he said.

After an overnight search operation, bodies of the seven villagers were recovered from the forest, four km from the village, he said.

The place is over 175 km from the capital Ranchi.

There was a meeting over ‘Pathalgarhi’ movement in the village on Tuesday when a dispute had arisen, West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Indrajit Mahata said.

Following the development, supporters of the movement kidnapped seven villagers and later killed them with the help of lathis and axes, he said.

Pathalgarhi is a name given to a tribal protest which seeks autonomy for village sabhas (Gramsabhas). Those demanding Pathalgarhi want no laws of the land be applicable on the tribal people in the area. The Pathalgarhis reject government rights over their forests and rivers.

As part of the movement, Pathalgarhis erect a stone plaque or signboard outside the village/area, declaring the village as sovereign territory and prohibiting the entry of the outsiders.

Expressing grief over the incident, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said “Law is above all and the guilty will not be spared. The police is investigating the matter.” A high-level meeting will be convened to prevent recurrence of such an incident, he said.

Pathalgarhi movement had hit the national headlines in the middle of 2019.

On June 19, five NGO workers were allegedly abducted and gangraped by armed men associated with the Pathalgarhi movement. They were performing a street play at a school in Khunti district of Jharkhand when they were targetted.

The raiders had branded the NGO workers as “dikus” (outsiders).

On June 26, another group of armed Pathalgarhis had abducted three security personnel posted at the former BJP MP Karia Munda’s home in Khunti. They were released later.

The Pathalgarhi groups have been active across four districts of Jharkhand – Khunti, Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbhum. All of them are Maoist-infested districts.

Soon after being sworn in as the chief minister on December 29 last, Hemant Soren had announced his decision to withdraw all sedition cases registered during the Pathalgarhi movement and protests against the amendments to Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act) and Santhal Paragana Tenancy Act (SPT Act).

At least five feared dead in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa following clash over ‘Patthalgadi’.

Source – newindianexpress.com

RANCHI: At least five persons were reportedly killed at Buru Gulikera village under Sonua Police Station of Chaibasa in Jharkhand allegedly after a clash that took place among villagers during a meeting on ‘Patthalgadi’ on Sunday.

Though there is no official confirmation in this regard, senior officials in district administration claimed that they have strong inputs that at least five villagers of Buru Gulikera have been killed following a violent clash between two groups.

According to the sources, the clash took place between ‘Patthalgadi’ supporters and those who were against it, while documents like Aadhaar and Voter Identity cards were being collected by ‘Patthalgadi’ activists following a heated exchange leading to the killing of at least five persons while some others are also said to be missing.

Collection of government documents was being done in the area for the last 10-15 days which was being opposed by some of the villagers which finally resulted in a violent clash between the two groups, it said.

Senior officials of the district administration have been camping near the village, but no dead body has been recovered while the report was being filed till late in the night on Tuesday.

“We have inputs that few people have been killed following a clash which took place during a meeting in Buru Gulikera village, but no dead body has been recovered so far. It is yet to ascertain who were the people who got killed and who killed them as none of the villagers are cooperating with the police,”
said Chaibasa Deputy Commissioner Arwa Rajkamal.

Notably, the area being left-wing extremism (LWE) affected, police are taking all precautions to reach out to the villagers as there are possibilities that the Maoists might have planted land mines on the way to the village.

Jharkhand: Tiger fear forces kids to carry bow and arrow to school.

Source – newindianexpress.com

RANCHI:  Children at Mirgitand Primary school under Ghatshila block of Jamshedpur are being forced to carry bow-arrow, axe and other traditional weapons with them to their school due to the tiger menace in the region. 

Notably, people living in the region are terrorised with the information shared by Forest officials that pugmarks of a tiger was spotted in the area which allegedly has killed at least three animals in the last 10 days. 

Mirgitand village, surrounded with hills from all sides has forest cover in the radius of around 8 kilometres, where there is always a threat of attack by wild animals. 

Panicked children who had refused to attend school, have now started attending classes with carrying bow-arrow and other traditional weapons. School Principal Bankim Mahto was seen coming to the school tying an axe on his motorbike. 

Some of the parents also surrounded the school with bow and arrow in their hands while their children attended their classes. Forest officials, however, are yet to locate the tigress in the region and are tracking on the pug-marks found on in the jungles. 

District officials on the other hand, admitted that people definitely are terrorised by the presence of tigress in the region. 

“Since the area comes under Dalma Forest division, people living near forest areas definitely are terrorised with the fact that there is a tiger in the region after half-eaten carcasses of some animals were found in the jungles,” said Ghatshila Block Development Officer (BDO) Sanjay Kumar Das. 

Attack on Visva-Bharati students: Third accused arrested in Jharkhand.

Source – indianexpress.com

The third person, accused of attacking a group of students near a boys’ hostel on Visva-Bharati University campus in Shantiniketan last week, was arrested from Jharkhand on Sunday, police said.

“Sulav Karmakar, a student of the history department of the central university, was picked up from Godda in Jharkhand in connection with the incident that left at least two students injured on January 15,” an officer of Birbhum police said.

Earlier two persons — Achintya Bagdi and Saber Ali — had been arrested for their alleged involvement in the assault on the members of Left-leaning Students’ Federation of India (SFI) on January 15.

Karmakar was the third student named in an FIR lodged in this connection.

The attack took place a week after BJP Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta was heckled by the Left-leaning students when he came to deliver a lecture on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on January 8.

The injured SFI members of the university had alleged that the attackers belonged to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the students’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and that the assault was a fallout of the demonstration the Left students held during Dasgupta’s visit to the campus.

Denying the allegations, Bagdi had said that he belonged to the Trinamool Chhatra Parisahad (TMCP), which the TMC’s students’ wing had denied.

The TMCP had said that the accused were earlier its members, but had left the organisation.

Dasgupta, Visva-Bharati Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty and others had to remain confined for over seven hours to a room of the central university, outside which hundreds of Left-leaning students staged a sit-in, accusing the politician of promoting hatred among communities.

The Visva-Bharati on Friday set up a three-member panel to probe the alleged confinement of the politician and the incident of assault.