KOLKATA: Even as Trinamool Congress demanded a CBI probe into the disappearance of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed, missing since October 15 last year, disappearance of an Adivasi student from Jadavpur University (JU) here following public shaming on social media for alleged molestation has sparked a movement demanding a thorough probe into the disappearance.
Sources revealed that Sushil Mandi, an MPhil student and a native of Dhaniakhali in Hooghly district of West Bengal, went missing from his room in a JU hostel since February 2 after a girl of film studies department, with whom Sushil shared a cigarette during a feminist campaign in the campus on January 16, took to social media and accused Sushil of molesting her while taking the cigarette back from her. Sources close to Sushil said he was upset with the social media shaming over the allegation.
Based on a complaint by Sushil's brother Haradhan Mandi, an FIR was lodged in Jadavpur Police Station on Tuesday naming five persons, including the girl who accused Sushil of molestation. "Soumya Mondal, Dibyakamal Mitra, Koustav Mondal, Nabottoma Pal and the girl who alleged molestation charges on Sushil, have been named in the FIR," a police official told Express.
Haradhan has accused the five of mental torment on Sushil over the molestation charge. The five named in the FIR are members of a left-wing organisation United Students' Democratic Front (USDF) while Sushil was a member of another left-wing organisation named Radical. The two leftist organisations had joined hands before the student council elections for a feminist campaign to break the locks of women's toilets in the campus on January 16 that the agitators alleged were deliberately locked after 6 PM by the authorities to reduce the presence of women on the campus after dark.
Sources revealed that the girl, who brought molestation charges against Sushil, alleged that during the feminist campaign, Sushil touched her inappropriately while sharing a cigarette with her. However, the girl did not lodge any police complaint in this regard and took the matter to the two outfits, which failed to resolve it and took sides of their own respective members. After this, the girl and later USDF took to the Facebook, slamming Sushil and Radical.
Meanwhile, the university authorities have written a mail to Police Headquarters at Lal Bazaar demanding that a thorough search of Sushil be launched. The university remained tense on Tuesday with clashes between members of Radical and USDF over the issue.