Suvendu Adhikari attributes Kolkata violence to ‘foreign fundamentalist forces’

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari addressed the media in Kolkata on Sunday. | Photo credit: ANI

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday (July 26, 2026) said Islamic fundamentalists, possibly with the support of foreign forces, perpetrated violence during protests in Kolkata on Friday (July 24, 2026).

Protests against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) question paper leak in Kolkata turned violent on Friday as protesters clashed with police, prompting security forces to baton-charge and fire tear gas to disperse the agitators.

The police detained 14 people in connection with the violence. On Sunday, they were presented to the municipal court. The accused were brought before the city court, which sent them to the police cell for two days. The counsel for the accused asked why people were arrested in Kolkata while no cases were registered against the protesters across the country.

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All the cases were filed by journalists who were attacked by protesters, the chief minister said.

Of the seven cases, six were filed by journalists. Several journalists were attacked by a mob on Friday.

Mr. Adhikari reiterated that the protests had nothing to do with the NEET paper leak and about 70 persons involved in the violence have been identified. “They have nothing to do with the movement. They are not even students. They are Islamic fundamentalists. Investigators are looking into whether some foreign force is behind them,” he said. Those behind the violence were upset by the decisions “the nationalist government here has taken to implement the law in the last 10 weeks”, Mr Adhikari said.

Mr Adhikari had earlier said that the Goonda Act, a new law with provisions for remand for up to 12 months, had been invoked against the accused. This will be the first instance of the law being put into practice in West Bengal.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have announced a rally on Monday (July 27, 2026), as opposed to Friday’s rally. At least half a dozen organizations, including Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh and Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal, will also take to the streets in protest on Tuesday (July 28, 2026).

Published – 26 Jul 2026 22:07 IST