Skip to main content

Research scholar Hindol Majumdar arrested at Delhi airport, CASR issues condemnation

By A Representative 
Hindol Majumdar, a research scholar pursuing his PhD at the University of Granada, Spain, was detained by authorities at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on 13 August following the issuance of a lookout circular. He was later handed over to the Kolkata Police in connection with an alleged incident at Jadavpur University (JU) in March 2025.
According to police sources, Majumdar has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP Act), the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act (WBMPO Act), and the Flag Code of India. The charges include wrongful restraint, causing hurt, mischief, criminal conspiracy, damage to public property, and disrespect to the national flag.
Authorities allege his involvement in an “attack” on the convoy of West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu during a visit to JU earlier this year. However, the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), a coalition of student, activist, and civil rights groups, has disputed these claims, stating that Majumdar was not in India at the time and had been in Spain since November 2023. CASR further alleged that the case is fabricated and politically motivated.
The March incident in question occurred during a protest by JU students and various student organisations over the issue of pending union elections. Protesters claim they were attacked by individuals they allege were supporters of the ruling party. Several students sustained injuries, with at least one requiring ICU admission. The police, however, have maintained that the protesters obstructed and damaged the minister’s convoy.
CASR described Majumdar’s arrest as part of a broader pattern of action against students, academics, and activists in recent years, citing other instances of detentions, arrests, and book bans. The organisation has called for his immediate release and urged opposition to the government’s “Surajkund Scheme,” which it claims is being used to suppress dissent.

Comments

Post a Comment

NOTE: Hateful, abusive comments won't be published. -- Editor

TRENDING

Beyond the 'silent relocation' narrative in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts

By Dr. Mohammad Asaduzzaman*  In recent years, a narrative has emerged from the rugged and forested terrain of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), portraying the region as the site of a “silent relocation” — a mass forced migration of Bangladesh’s non-Muslim ethnic communities into neighboring India and Myanmar.
Post a Comment
»

Ram, Bam and Bengal: Memories of a Left turn toward the Right

By Rajiv Shah   The BJP ’s massive electoral win in West Bengal is being interpreted across political persuasions — except, of course, by the BJP itself — as the result of the alleged deletion of around 90 lakh voters from the electoral rolls during the controversial intensive revision process. This may well be true, given my own experience in Gujarat regarding the shoddy manner in which electoral revisions have often been conducted. In West Bengal, there also appeared to be a political angle to the exercise. But I am not interested in discussing that here, as enough has already appeared in the media on the subject.
Post a Comment
»

India's housing boom hits a wall: Prices soar, buyers struggle

By Rajiv Shah  India's residential real estate market recorded near-flat growth in the January–March quarter of 2026, with sales volumes dipping year-on-year even as property prices hit a historic milestone — crossing ₹10,000 per square foot for the first time.
1 comment
»