People's Democracy

Police Brutality Kills SFI Leader

WEST Bengal witnessed another gruesome attack on democratic rights which cost a young life. SFI leader Sudipta Gupta was killed in a brutal police attack on SFI activists in Kolkata on April 2. A member of SFI West Bengal state committee, Sudipta was brutally beaten after arrest and died on his way to jail in police custody. He was 23, just completed his MA in Political Science from Rabindra Bharati University. Sudipta was a frontline organiser, a member of Kolkata district secretariat of SFI, popular among students and friends, with a skilled voice of singing.

Four Left students’ organisations called for a law breaking programme to protest the draconian decision of the state government banning all students’ union elections in the state. Thousands of students marched from College Street and assembled in Rani Rasmoni Road in Kolkata and expressed their anger against the government action. They moved forward defying police lathicharge. Hundreads were arrested and taken into private buses under police custody. They were taken to Alipore Jail. On the way to jail, police started to beat the arrested SFI activists in a bus. Some of the SFI activists fell from the bus, Sudipta being one of them. He was grievously injured but was not spared by the police. According to eye witnesses, Sudipta was beaten even after he fell down from the bus. Sudipta suffered a serious head injury. In fact, he was so roughly beaten that his head and face were fractured severely. SFI activists rescued him and police put the injured SFI leader in a police jeep. The jeep brought him to SSKM hospital but after delaying for about 15 minutes. He was admitted in the hospital but died after few hours.

Many other SFI activists suffered injuries. The right hand of Sheikh Jogesh Hossain of Murshidabad was badly injured and he has undergone an emergency operation in Kolkata Medical College Hospital.

Kolkata police, in a surprise action, called a press conference even before Sudipta’s death and offered the theory of ‘accident’. According to them, Sudipta hit a lamp post while in bus. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee legitimised this police version even after SFI registered a formal complaint against the police.

This brutal attack caused an outrage throughout the state. SFI and other Left students’ organisations held demonstrations and processions throughout the state. Thousands participated in the funeral rally of the departed comrade. A statewide students strike was observed on April 4. Teachers’ organisations condemned the killing.

Meanwhile, Left Front demanded a judicial enquiry of the incident. Left Front called a strike in southern parts of Kolkata, where Sudipta lived on April 4. 

Sudipta Gupta is 93rd martyr of the Left movement in West Bengal since the TMC government came into power.