Babul Supriyo posts video of Jadavpur University assault, challenges Mamata govt to arrest his attackers

In a series of tweets, Supriyo maintained that no one should be allowed to `malign and tarnish` the name of the institution.

Kolkata: A day after he was allegedly heckled and attacked by a group of students at the Jadavpur University campus, BJP leader and Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Friday virtually challenged the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal arrest the 'cowards' who were behind the assault on him.

The BJP leader maintained that no one should be allowed to "malign and tarnish" the name of the institution.

Supriyo took to Twitter and said, "These cowards will not be allowed to malign & tarnish the image of #JadavpurUniversity .. U shall be found out by us soon but don`t worry, you shall not be treated in the manner you treated me." 

In a series of tweets, Supriyo also thanked people for their support to him a day after he was heckled, slapped, punched and detained for hours by Left-wing students in the campus.

Supriyo had gone to the university campus to attend a freshers` welcome and address a seminar on the National Register of Citizens.

Posting video footages of the assault, Supriyo identified a bearded youth and said, "Identity of this Naxalite.. is he a JU student? Even if it's a yes, he has no business inciting a mob in the manner he did ... #TrueFootageOfJU #JadhavpurUniversity"

Sharing another video footage, the singer-turned-politician said, "These are self-proclaimed Naxalites.. the one with a red Band and the one with blue stripe shirt - he is the one who can be seen catching hold of my hair. Check out my reasoning with them and then check their demeanor".

The BJP leader also claimed to have identified the person who had led the assault on him and virtually challenged the West Bengal CM to charge that man for the assault.

"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 said in one such tweet.

After over six hours, Supriyo was "rescued" by state's Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who drove to the university escorted by a large police force and brought Supriyo out of the campus in his car. 

However, on his arrival, Dhankhar was also stranded for close to an hour in the campus as the Left protestors held a sit-in demonstration and even lay prostrate before his vehicle.

Before arriving at the university, Governor Dhankhar issued a statement in which he said that he took "a very serious view" of the "unlawful detention of a Union Minister" and observed that his gherao reflects the state`s law and order situation. He called University Chancellor Suranjan Das and state Chief Secretary Malay Kumar De on the matter. 

During his conversation with the VC, the Governor "indicated to him that it was improper for him not to have taken prompt steps in the matter".

Several BJP leaders, including party's Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, took to Twitter to slam the protesting students for blocking entry of the minister and termed the incident as "disgraceful"