West Bengal: Calcutta HC orders NIA probe into the alleged state-sponsored killing of Rajesh Sarkar and Tapas Barman

The Calcutta High Court has ordered National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the murder of Rajesh Sarkar and Tapas Barman, the former students of Darivit High School located at Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal.

It is alleged that the West Bengal Police shot the two students inside the school’s compound for protesting against Mamata Banerjee Government’s Urdu imposition on September 20, 2018. It was reported that the students killed belonged to the Dalit community.

Rajesh Sarkar died on his way to the hospital and Tapas Barman died the next day. The two students were members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Tapas Barman belonged to the Scheduled Caste community (Sub-Caste Rajbangshi); he was a 3rd-year student of the ITI course. Rajesh Sarkar was from Namashudra (SC) community; he was a first-year student of the ITI course.

Background

The Darivit High School’s students demanded a Bengali teacher; however, the school hired an Urdu teacher on September 18, 2018. It was reported that the Urdu teacher was closely associated with the local MLA and Minister Golam Robbani.

It is pertinent to note that the area was a Hindu-dominated area, and even the Muslim students were Bengali-speaking and thus did not agree to opt for Urdu. In protest, students started agitation and barricaded the school premise. School administration informed BDO and the Inspector-in-Charge of Islampur. Rabindranath Mondal, District Inspector of Schools (DI), came to solve the problem.

In the presence of DI resolution had been prepared on the school letterhead regarding the appointment of two new teachers. It was decided that the school would not take the new teacher at present. DI office promised to send two teachers as per the requirement of the school. The school came back to normalcy on September 19, 2018, classes were held, and students were back to classes.

However, on September 20, 2018, the same two teachers came back to join the school with a big police force. Nurul Huda, one of the assistant teachers acting as the headmaster with the help of local TMC leaders, also organised local goons from the nearby Gulopara area. With this development, students became furious and started a protest in front of the school. It has been reported that the goons assembled over there started molesting the girl students in protest. Locals like Rajesh Sarkar (19) and Tapas Barman (21) came in front to save their sisters.

As per the locals, the West Bengal Police started firing on the protesting crowd. The local villagers were shocked and tried to shift the wounded to the nearby hospitals. It was reported that the villagers even faced obstruction while shifting the wounded to the hospitals.

In an interview with Organiser, then BJP leader Mukul Roy said, “In Darivit High School (Islampur), students are mostly Bangla-speaking. Out of the total of 47 teachers, only 17 are equipped. The students wanted a Bangla teacher, but an Urdu teacher was sent instead. It is not a fight between Hindus and Muslims, but a fight for language,” when asked about the killing of the two Dalit students, Rajesh Sarkar and Tapas Barman.

It is pertinent to note that Mukul Roy left the BJP and returned to the TMC in 2021.

In the interview, he compared Mamata Banerjee Government’s Urdu imposition to West Pakistan’s Urdu imposition on Bangla-speaking East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He said, “We are aware of what happened when in 1952; Western Pakistan imposed Urdu on Bangla-speaking Eastern Pakistan. The Bhasha-Aandolan which took shape in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) still inspires us! The struggle in Bengal now is one that of language.”

“It is not a fight between Hindus and Muslims, but a fight for language. We are aware of what happened when in 1952; Western Pakistan imposed Urdu on Bangla-speaking Eastern Pakistan,” he said during the interview. Furthermore, he added, “In Islampur, the struggle didn’t intensify because students were agitating. Villagers accompanied them as well. Even though the deceased Tapas Burman and Rajesh Sarkar were Hindus, their dead bodies have still not been cremated. The villagers have demanded a further enquiry by CBI. The protestors have also approached the President of India seeking justice.”