Kolkata: Alipore Court has granted bail to researcher Hindol Majumdar, who was arrested on charges of planning the attack on Education Minister Bratya Basu at Jadavpur University (JU) earlier this year. The judge granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 1,000. Five days after his arrest, and after spending three days in police custody, Spain-based researcher Hindol Majumdar, an alumnus of Jadavpur University, has finally been granted bail.

A former student of pharmaceutical technology, Majumdar has been pursuing a PhD in biomedicine and clinical sciences at Universidad de Granada in Spain for the past two years. He was scheduled to visit Calcutta after meeting his sister in Delhi.

“I was at immigration. As everyone is. I was informed that there was a lookout notice in my name which was issued in March. Then the immigration officer took me to his room separately. He took away my phone, laptop, tab and Kindle. I was transferred to the Delhi Police custody after an hour and a half,” Hindol told media.

His lawyer argued in court on Monday that the accusation is on the basis of WhatsApp messages allegedly sent by Majumdar, but the police has failed to verify whether those messages came from his phone before issuing the lookout notice.

Argument in court over Hindol Maumdar’s bail plea

On Monday, in his bail application in the Alipore court, Majumdar’s lawyer Gopal Halder argued that there was no new development in this case. His client lives in Spain, not Kolkata, and he has come to the city to meet his parents. He also said, “Consider Hindol’s educational qualifications. He was not even physically present at that time (of alleged attack on Education Minister).” The police are saying, that Hindol incited former students by sending messages on WhatsApp from Spain, this is also not true, argued the lawyer.

After this, the government lawyer once again appealed for police custody of Hindol and said, “All the details of WhatsApp chats have been shared in the case diary.” The public prosecutor opposed the bail plea, stating that the investigation was in an advanced stage and Majumdar’s release could hamper the probe. Earlier, while presenting him in court on August 15, the prosecution claimed Majumdar had planned the attack from Spain.

On Monday, the judge also asked the public prosecutor why no charges had been brought under the IT Act if the case revolved around alleged messages sent to students involved in the attack. After hearing both sides, the judge granted bail to the Spain-based researcher. He walked out of the Alipore court lock-up around 7pm

Hindol Majumdar compared to Kolkata terror attack mastermind Aftab Ansari

Hindol Majumdar getting bail within four days of his arrest has led to speculations. Especially since the police had compared Hindol’s activities to mastermind of the American Center attack in Kolkata militant Aftab Ansari in the previous hearing while opposing his bail. When questioned about Majumdar’s physical absence during the incident, the prosecution cited the 2002 American Center attack in Calcutta, which was planned by Aftab Ansari from Dubai.

However, no strong evidence could be presented against Hindol in the court on Monday. As a result, his bail was granted on a personal bond.

“My name is Hindol Majumdar and I am not a terrorist”

On Government lawyer comparing him with Aftab Ansari, the researcher reacted, “There can be only one answer to this, my name is Hindol Majumdar and I am not a terrorist. Someone was telling me that I am also being compared him with Osama Bin Laden. I don’t know what to say. It is very unfortunate. I feel hurt. I feel sad to hear such things. There is nothing more to say.”

Protest around Education Minister Bratya Basu’s car in Kolkata

A significant student protest occurred at Jadavpur University in Kolkata on March 1, this year, during a visit by West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu. Some students allegedly surrounded and vandalised the minister’s car, and also allegedly manhandled him. Following the incident, Basu was admitted to a hospital. Five First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered, and one person was arrested in connection with the incident. The unrest at the university reportedly stemmed from issues related to students’ union elections.

The initial assumption of the police is that there was a plan behind it. The investigation of the incident revealed the name of a former Jadavpur student and researcher Hindol Majumdar. The reseacher currently lives in Spain. The police had mentioned that they found from WhatsApp chats a conspiracy to attack the education minister at Jadavpur University while he was abroad. Police arrested Hindol from the airport after he returned to Kolkata from Spain last Wednesday. When he was produced in court on Friday, a three-day police custody order was issued. Hindol was in police custody till Monday, August 18.

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store – https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share