None of 14 arrested in Kolkata NEET protest violence are students, says Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said none of the 14 people arrested in connection with the July 24 NEET protest violence in Kolkata are students. He alleged the accused posed as student activists and sought to create disturbances in the city

Kolkata: None of the 14 individuals arrested so far in connection with the violence and attacks on police personnel and journalists during a protest rally in Kolkata on July 24 against the NEET examination paper leak and other exam scandals was a student, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Sunday.

According to him, those arrested after being identified as perpetrators through CCTV footage and videos were actually fundamentalists whose main intention on Friday was to create a major disturbance in the city, posing as student activists after assembling at the protest rally.

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“Their only aim was to disturb the peace in the state and the country. All of them will be dealt with under the newly enacted West Bengal Public Safety & Control of Anti-Social Activities Act, 2026, which provides for stricter measures against anti-social and violent activities,” the Chief Minister said while speaking to the media persons.

He also said that the real intention of these arrested persons who had assembled at the protest rally posing as students may have been different from the aim with which the protest march was convened.

According to him, Friday’s violence could be a clandestine expression of anger after the decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in West Bengal to start an investigation into the activities of the large number of Khariji (unaffiliated) madrasas in the state.

“The new state government implemented the Calcutta High Court’s verdict on Other Backward Class certificates. It implemented the act against public slaughter of animals. Rules have been imposed in the sound policy. It is possible that out of anger over these developments, a group of miscreants did this mischief,” the Chief Minister said.

So far, 14 persons have been arrested in connection with Friday’s violence. Out of them, 11 were arrested till Saturday night, and the remaining three were arrested between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Police have so far identified 70 persons involved in the violence during the rally, which was jointly organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and students’ and youth wings of various Left parties. Seven FIRs have been registered in connection with the incident, including one suo motu case filed by the city police.