Kolkata court sends 16 NEET protesters to jail

A city court on Tuesday remanded 16 people arrested in connection with violence during a NEET paper leak protest by the Left students’ organisations to judicial custody till July 30.

Several journalists were injured when some people attacked them during the march from Sealdah station to Esplanade in central Kolkata.

Refusing their bail prayers, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court here remanded the 16 accused, against whom provisions of the newly legislated stringent Goonda Act have been applied, until July 30.

Following Friday’s unruly scenes during the rally, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had stated that those who indulged in violence during the march had no connection to the NEET paper leak protest and were suspected to be anti-national elements.  The state Government claimed that at least 70 people identified in connection with the violence were neither students nor members of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and had no direct link with the movement against the alleged NEET paper leak.

The state’s counsel, seeking their remand, argued before the court that releasing the accused persons on bail would severely hamper the investigation.