You will pay for what you did to Babul Da: Burdwan BJP leader told student as they assaulted him

Debanjan said that he did not know for sure if his assailants were from the student wing but he was definite that they were from the BJP and the local leader showed up as well
Debanjan was marked and pointed out by Babul himself on facebook after the attack (Pic: Edexlive/ANI)
Debanjan was marked and pointed out by Babul himself on facebook after the attack (Pic: Edexlive/ANI)

Nine alleged BJP affiliates have been remanded to judicial custody for assaulting Debanjan Ballav and his girlfriend at an East Burdwan bus depot on October 2. Debanjan was accused of pulling Union Minister Babul Supriyo's hair during a scuffle at Jadavpur University last month. The Sanskrit College student also alleged that one local BJP leader threatened him and his girlfriend, Pragya, and claimed that the assault was a punishment for what he had done to Babul and that this was not the end of it. But the USDF student activist says that he refuses to give in to fear and is confident that people will support him and protect his parents.

Debanjan had gone home before Durga Puja and was on his way back with his friend when he was attacked at the Alisha bus stand in East Burdwan. "We were dragged out of the bus by six to seven BJP goons. They tore my clothes apart and when I asked them why they were hitting us they said that I apparently owed them money. But sometime later the local BJP leader, Shyamal, came to me and said that this was payback for what happened in Jadavpur University," Debanjan said. "They did all this because they are scared. Because we put up a fight. Why should I be scared? I am confident that people will support me and also help my parents if need be," he added.

Debanjan said that he did not know for sure if his assailants were from the student wing but he was definite that they were from the BJP and the local leader showed up as well. An officer of Burdwan Sadar police station in East Burdwan district on Thursday said that some arrests have been made based on Ballav's complaint. "He has complained that some people beat him up at the bus stand when he was coming home from Kolkata," the officer said. Confirming that he named ABVP in his complaint the officer said, "Yes, he has named ABVP in the complaint. A case has been started based on the complaint. A few arrests have been made."

The ABVP has rubbished Ballav's allegation and called it a cheap effort to get "publicity".

Debanjan was marked and pointed out by Babul himself on facebook after the attack. "This is the guy who led the assault in #JadavpurUniversity .. we will find him out and then see what @MamataOfficial does to him in terms of charging him for assault without any provocation whatsoever from our/my side," he wrote on the social media platform.

The student's ailing mother Rupali Ballav had then, told Babul in a viral video that she has brought her son up after a lot of hardships and appealed to the minister not to harm him. "I want to tell Babul da that I have brought him up after much hardship. Please don't harm him," she was seen pleading with folded hands in the video. Debajna later claimed that BJP-ABVP activists misled his mother to record that statement. Replying to Rupali, Babul addressed her as aunty and told her not to worry, "Aunty, don't worry. I won't harm your son. I want him to learn from his mistake."

On September 19, the university plunged into unprecedented lawlessness with Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar rushing in with a large police force after Supriyo was heckled, slapped and detained for hours by pro-left students. Babul had gone to the JU campus to attend a freshers' welcome and address a seminar organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Around 7 PM, the governor reached the campus and left with the minister in his car.

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