SFI activist death in Kolkata - Tuesday April 2,2013

Sudipto Gupta, an MA student at Rabindra Bharati University, was admitted to hospital with severe internal haemorrhage and later succumbed to his injuries. Gupta was part of a protest organised by the SFI against the postponement of college elections.

According to sources, the activist was beaten up by policemen while he was being taken to the Presidency jail in a bus. Eyewitnesses told CNN-IBN that the police forced protesters on to a bus following a mass arrest and then Sudipto was pushed out of the bus and badly beaten up. SFI General Secretary Satarup Ghosh, an eyewitness himself, said, "He was hit on his head so hard that one of his eyes came out."

"We were courting arrest when the policemen started beating us in the bus. One of the policemen hit Sudipto's head with a lathi and he fell down. When we demanded immediate medical help for him, the police refused," Ghosh said.

 "There was a scuffle inside the bus as the students shouted slogans. One of the students hit a lamp post and was critically injured," Javed Shamim, Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, said.

Following the post-mortem, his body was taken to his residence where grieving relatives, friends and neighbours had gathered. and then to the SFI headquarters. Gupta's body was taken to the crematorium in a huge procession. Former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was also among the thousands walking along Gupta's hearse

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the state home minister, on Wednesday morning termed the episode as "unfortunate", but evaded a question on whether a judicial probe would be ordered as demanded by the Opposition CPI(M). "Any death is unfortunate. This is also unfortunate. I will not say anything more than this," Mamata told reporters.

West Bengal CM Mamta banerjee also said she visited the SSKM Hospital to express her sympathy and assured all help to the bereaved family. She also visited other activists injured in the police crackdown at the hospital. 

Gupta's father Pranab Gupta, however, refused to accept any help from the state government. "My son was beaten to death. Is it justice? I was a central government employee. I get pension. I cannot accept any money. It is against my principle. She is offering me money, but can she return my son?"

The Left Front has asked for a judicial probe and threatened to hit the streets in protest. One person has been arrested in connection with the death of the student. The person arrested is Raju Das, the driver of the bus which was used to take the demonstrators to the prison by the police.