Former Jadavpur University student Hindol Mazumdar, who was earlier identified by police as the main conspirator in the March attack on education minister Bratya Basu on campus, was granted bail on Monday.
Mazumdar, who currently lives in Spain, was arrested at the Delhi airport on August 13 based on a lookout notice.
On Monday, the Alipore court rejected Kolkata Police’s plea for judicial custody after a three-day police remand and granted him bail with a surety of ₹1,000.
A former student of pharmaceutical technology, Mazumdar 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.
In court on Monday, Mazumdar’s lawyer argued that the accusation rested on WhatsApp messages allegedly sent by Mazumdar, yet the police failed to verify whether those messages came from his phone before issuing the lookout notice.
“No further information has emerged since Mazumdar’s arrest,” said his lawyer, Gopal Halder. “He lives in Spain and was not in Calcutta at the time of the attack. He should be released on bail.”
The public prosecutor opposed the bail plea, stating that the investigation was in an advanced stage and Mazumdar’s release could hamper the probe. Earlier, while presenting him in court on August 15, the prosecution claimed Mazumdar had orchestrated the attack from Spain.
When questioned about Mazumdar’s physical absence during the incident, the prosecution cited the 2002 American Center attack in Calcutta, which was planned by Aftab Ansari from Dubai.
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 Mazumdar bail. He walked out of the Alipore court lock-up around 7pm to cheers from JU students who had gathered on the court premises after news of the bail broke.
When asked about criticism of the police’s conduct, Mazumdar smiled and said, “The police have done a good job. I have nothing to say.”
Earlier in the day, JU teachers, researchers, and students held a rally demanding his unconditional release. The march began from the university football ground and ended at Jadavpur police station.
“Mazumdar was arrested to silence a dissenting voice. His release shows the charges were baseless,” said Partha Pratim Roy, secretary of the JU teachers’ association.