Kolkata: Four students of the Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital who were arrested on Monday in the Korban Shah lynching case were sent to police custody till January 13.
Third year students Javed Akhter (21) from North Dinajpore, Anurag Sarkar (24) from Jalpaiguri and Arijit Mondal (23) from Bankura and final year student Yusuf Jameel (24) from Murshidabad were produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Arpita Ghosh at Sealdah court here in connection with the case.
Defence lawyer Barun Dutta pleaded for bail to the four accused on grounds that they had their examinations and had been arrested after being summoned for questioning by the homicide department of Lalbazar.
Public prosecutor Abhijit Chatterjee, however, said that bail should be denied as they were charged with a serious murder case and would be required for further interrogation.
Police sources said there would be at least five more arrests soon — one from among the first-year students and four from third year.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities were trying to find a way for the accused students to be able to appear for their exams. “We are thinking about it and something would be done to help the students write their examinations,” said Dr S A Amam, hospital superintendent.
While some students at NRS Hospital arrest of those responsible would bring a sense of relief, others were of the opinion that the students should be handled with compassion as their future was at stake. “With police officials frequenting the campus and hostel, we were spending our days in fearful apprehension especially when our examinations were around the corner. At least now there will be sanity restored here,” said a final year student.
Aniruddha Shaw, another final year student, said the students who would miss the test might get an opportunity to write supplementary tests.
Shakir Hossain, an intern at the hospital said the students would miss a year anyway. “Final year students should apply for their internship before March for admission to post graduation course next year. These students would finish their supplementary examinations by July 6 and complete their internship in July next year after which they would not be able to get admission to a post graduation course,” Hossain said. He also said that even if these students appear for the supplementary tests, a certain percentage of marks per subject would be deducted from their application for hospital staff. “Police should have made these arrests after the tests. They are students and not professional criminals. Where will they run away? Now neither the college authorities, nor media or police are lending any support to them,” Hossain said.
TMC MLA Nirmal Majhi who is also the parliamentary secretary in-charge of health and president of Progressive Doctor’s Association, had earlier written to hospital authorities to see that students were not harrassed in the name of investigation. “That continued…
