KOLKATA: Now, adding insult to injury, the boy, who had been issued an admit card with a dog’s photograph, is now facing arrest for allegedly tampering with the document.
The West Bengal government on Monday ordered police to arrest Soumyadip Mahata, who received the admit card bearing the canine’s image.
State Technical Education Minister Ujjal Biswas on Monday said, “We have asked the police to arrest him as he tampered with the document which is not an admit card to malign our government. I have been informed that the boy had himself submitted a dog’s photo while registering online.”
However, the minister contradicted himself later saying, “If the boy didn’t do it himself, the cybercafé from where he uploaded the photo must be behind the conspiracy.” Mahata, who works in a garage to support his family, on his part, said, “I go for work in the morning and had gone to download the admit card in the evening. I have no clue how it happened”.
Anandadeb Mukherjee, former Vice-Chancellor of Vidyasagar University, said the Department of Vocational Training must be responsible for the gaffe and asked how such an admit card was issued in the first place. He said arresting the student would be illegal. And echoing similar views, former principal of Presidency College Amal Mukherjee said, “Arresting the student to cover up its (government’s) mistake and shrugging off its responsibility is nothing short of fascism which exists in West Bengal now.”