KOLKATA — Three Muslim students of Aliah University have alleged that they were subjected to communal abuse, physical assault and death threats by two men in central Kolkata on September 24, and that police did not register an FIR despite their complaint.
The students — 24-year-old Mohammad Ashiq Billah, 23-year-old Mujim Hossain and 24-year-old Hasanur Zaman — said the incident took place while they were walking from the university’s Taltala campus towards Sealdah railway station after classes.
According to the students, the alleged assault occurred at around 2.40 pm near the entrance to a shortcut road close to GD Hospital and Diabetes Institute on Lenin Sarani. The three, who are pursuing studies in the Department of Islamic Studies, said they were heading to Sealdah to catch the Sealdah–Hasnabad Galloping Local, which they regularly use as part of a daily commute that takes around four hours.
Speaking to Maktub, Ashiq alleged that two men, believed to be around 35 to 40 years old and travelling on a black-and-white scooter, confronted the students and attempted to pick a fight with them.
Ashiq said the students initially tried to avoid the confrontation and continued walking, but alleged that the two men followed them and began abusing them.
He said one of the men was wearing shorts and a vest, while the other was dressed in trousers and a T-shirt. Both, he alleged, had saffron tilaks on their foreheads. The students said they did not know the men and had never encountered them before.
According to the students, the men accused them of using abusive language, an allegation they denied. Ashiq said they tried to defuse the situation and told the men, “Why would we abuse you? We are students.”
“They were calling us ‘jihadi’ and abusing us in Hindi,” Ashiq alleged.
The students said that as they continued to deny the accusation, one of the men slapped Ashiq. They alleged that both men continued using abusive language and referred to them as “jihadi” and “jangi”, apparently in reference to their beards, traditional clothing and skullcaps.
Mohammad Motsim Billah, a student representative at Aliah University who later spoke to the three students, said they believed they had been singled out because of their appearance.
“Just because of their dress, they were labelled ‘jihadi’,” Motsim said, adding that the students had attempted to avoid a confrontation.
The students alleged that the situation escalated when they continued walking without responding to the men. According to their account, the two men got off the scooter, followed them and assaulted them by slapping and punching them. They also alleged that their clothes were pulled during the confrontation.
In a written complaint subsequently submitted to the university’s Deputy Registrar, the students described being attacked and beaten by “some miscreants” near Taltala Market while returning home.
Motsim alleged that the attackers tore the students’ clothes during the incident. He said Hasanur was punched in the face and suffered bleeding around his teeth.
The students further alleged that one of the men attempted to drag Ashiq into a nearby lane. When the other two students intervened, Mujim was allegedly slapped and punched.
According to Motsim, Ashiq told him that one of the attackers slapped him with such force that he immediately felt dizzy. The students also alleged that the men threatened to kill them during the confrontation.
Earlier Complaints by Female Students
The incident has also brought renewed attention to concerns previously raised by female students about alleged anti-Muslim remarks in the same area.
According to Motsim and Ashiq, some female students had earlier complained of being subjected to Islamophobic comments while passing through the locality.
Motsim alleged that some of the women had been called “mullah” and “children of jihad” by unidentified individuals. He said they had also reported other offensive remarks but did not wish to repeat them publicly.
The students involved in the earlier complaints reportedly travel daily from areas including Hasnabad, Basirhat and Canning.
Students Question Police Response
The three students initially hesitated to approach the police but later decided to report the alleged assault. About an hour after the incident, they were accompanied by around seven fellow students to Taltala Police Station.
According to Motsim, the students approached the duty officer seeking guidance on what action could be taken against those responsible. He alleged that the officer discouraged them from pursuing an FIR and instead advised them to submit a written complaint.
The students said they submitted a written account of the incident and requested that police examine CCTV footage from the area, which they believe could help identify or establish what happened during the alleged assault.
Motsim further alleged that one of the suspected attackers later arrived at the police station while the students were there. He claimed the man made threatening gestures towards Ashiq, which the students interpreted as an attempt to intimidate them and discourage them from pursuing the complaint.
According to Motsim, police sought to downplay the man’s conduct by describing him as “mentally unstable” and claiming that he consumed cannabis.
The students also alleged that a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader outside the police station warned them that pursuing an FIR could lead to a counter-case being filed against them.
Motsim said the students, who come from economically modest backgrounds, were worried about being drawn into criminal proceedings and said they lacked the financial resources to engage lawyers if a counter-case was filed.
According to the students, no FIR had been registered in connection with their allegations at the time of publication.
They have since called for preventive measures and increased security along the routes regularly used by students travelling between the university and railway stations.
Maktub contacted Taltala Police seeking a response to the allegations made by the students. No response had been received at the time of publication.
