A group of students staying at Carmichael Hall in Sealdah, a hostel for Calcutta University students, were allegedly beaten and called “Bangladeshi Rohingya” after walking out of a mobile accessory shop on Wednesday night without making a purchase.
The incident occurred in central Calcutta, amid a nationwide rise in reports of Bengali-speaking individuals being harassed and branded as Bangladeshi nationals.
Following a complaint by one of the students, police have arrested Dipak Kumar Shaw, 29, and Imtiaz Ali, 35, both employees of the mobile accessory shop.
Tarik Ali, the complainant and a master’s student, said he and other students visited the store in Sealdah’s Sisir Market.
“We were not satisfied with the quality of the products. As we were leaving, a garment shopkeeper from the opposite side hurled communal slurs, calling us Bangladeshi Rohingyas and thieves,” Ali said.
The students confronted him, leading to a physical altercation. Ali alleged that shopkeepers ganged up and assaulted his friends with rods and hockey sticks.
The police arrived and rescued the students. “Some students were beaten. Some shopkeepers were also injured. Only the students have filed a complaint, based on which we arrested two men,” said an officer.
