Crackdown and counter-rallies: How NEET protest led to political showdown in Bengal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal has responded to the massive July 24 student protest over the NEET question paper leak in Kolkata with a sweeping police crackdown and an aggressive political campaign, portraying the agitation as infiltrated by "anti-national" forces.

The police have arrested several protestors, registered multiple cases and launched searches for others allegedly involved in the violence, while the BJP on Monday (July 27) took out Tiranga Yatras in Kolkata, describing them as a response to what it called the "anti-national" character of the agitation.

The right-wing and Left-wing student organisations were set to bring out their respective rallies in the city on Tuesday (July 28), raising prospects of tensions.

Two more arrested over July 24 violence

The police on Monday arrested two more people in connection with the alleged violence in Esplanade in the heart of the city last week, taking the total number of arrests to 16.

Investigators said the latest accused, Wakar Azam and Javed Akhtar, were picked up from the Karaya and Garden Reach areas, respectively. Five of those already in custody were taken to the protest site of Dorina Crossing in central Kolkata for a reconstruction of the incident.

Also read: After Centre, CJP confronts BJP-ruled states, warns Bihar, Bengal over protesters' arrests

Authorities have maintained that none of those arrested is students. According to police, the accused were "outsiders" who infiltrated the protest and were responsible for attacking police personnel, vandalising public property and assaulting journalists covering the demonstration.

Criminals behind violence: CM Adhikari

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has repeatedly argued that the violence was orchestrated by criminal elements rather than genuine students.

Addressing the state Assembly after the protest, he publicly named several alleged offenders and announced that the recently enacted Anti-Goonda Act would be invoked against those responsible.

We condemn the attack on police and media personnel on the protest day. But that should not become a pretext to arrest innocent protesters.

"We will take such action under the Anti-Goonda Act that not just one generation, but three generations of these goons will remember it," Adhikari had said.

'Movement must be democratic, peaceful'

The government's position has received support from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated student organisation, which has sought to distinguish peaceful student movements and what it describes as politically motivated violence.

"Any movement that raises the legitimate demands and concerns of the student community must remain peaceful, democratic and constructive," ABVP state secretary Neelkantha Bhattacharya said.

"Some Left organisations are trying to exploit students' emotions for political interests, creating social divisions and encouraging anti-national sentiments."

Bhattacharya also condemned alleged attacks on journalists during the protest, calling them "a direct assault on democratic values and the freedom of the press".

The ABVP's statement reflected a wider effort by the BJP and its affiliates to reframe the narrative around the agitation.

Left bodies, CJP blamed

Rather than treating the unrest primarily as an expression of student anger over the NEET controversy, saffron party leaders have increasingly portrayed it as an attempt by Left organisations and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to destabilise public order under the guise of student politics.

That messaging was visible on Monday as the BJP organised the Tiranga processions in South and North Kolkata. Carrying the National Flag, the participants described the march as a response to what organisers termed the "militancy" displayed during Friday's protest.

Also read: When NDA leaders’ children turned ‘cockroaches’ to back NEET protests

The party projected the rallies as a demonstration of nationalism, positioning the Tricolour against what it alleged were violent and anti-national tendencies within the student movement.

Among the slogans raised at the rally was "Boycott the cockroaches".

The mobilisation is set to continue. The Education, Culture and Protection Forum, backed by the ABVP, has announced twin marches from Howrah and Sealdah to Esplanade on Tuesday, involving students, teachers and non-teaching staff.

The BJP’s response has, however, drawn criticism from student groups that participated in Friday's protest, with activists alleging that the police crackdown has gone beyond those responsible for the violence.

Bengal CJP leader seeks fair probe

Akash Sarkar, one of the convenors of the CJP in Bengal, said the organisation condemned the attacks on police personnel and journalists during the demonstration but alleged that the subsequent investigation was being used to detain innocent protesters.

"We condemn the attack on police and media personnel on the protest day. But that should not become a pretext to arrest innocent protesters," Sarkar said. "The police should conduct an impartial investigation to identify those who actually pelted bottles and stones at police and assaulted journalists."

He further alleged that the arrests had disproportionately targeted members of the minority community. "Barring one or two persons, almost all those arrested belong to the minority community," he said, calling for a fair and unbiased probe.

Anirban Das, a student activist who participated in the march, questioned the arrest of Sheikh Salman, one of those taken into custody.

"I did not know Salman personally, but we were together during the protest," Das told The Federal.

"When violence broke out, we were collecting litter to keep the protest site clean. We caught hold of one person who was involved in the violence and handed him over to the police, asking them to take action. Later, I was surprised to learn that Salman himself had been arrested on charges of violence."

The allegations could not be independently verified.

Left to hold another march

Meanwhile, Left student organisations have also called for another march on Tuesday, demanding the withdrawal of what they describe as "false cases" against protesters, the repeal of the Anti-Goonda Act, the scrapping of the National Testing Agency, withdrawal of the National Education Policy 2020, and an end to what they describe as the privatisation of education.

In a joint statement, Left student organisations alleged that the assault on journalists during Friday's rally had been "deliberately orchestrated" to discredit the movement and justify a wider crackdown on student activists.

Also read: How CJP protest spread to UK, USA, Europe, got Indian diaspora's support

The statement further accused the government of using the violence as a justification to invoke the Anti-Goonda Act against political opponents rather than criminal elements.

It also alleged that a majority of those arrested belonged to the Muslim community, describing the police action as selective and politically motivated.

The organisations demanded the repeal of the Anti-Goonda Act, withdrawal of all cases filed against protesters, and the immediate release of those arrested, while reiterating that those responsible for acts of violence should be identified through a fair and impartial investigation.

The police and the state government have maintained that those arrested were identified through evidence collected during the investigation while denying that action was directed against any particular community or peaceful protesters.