Nine BJP and ABVP activists have been arrested in connection with the assault on Debanjan Ballabh, the student who had allegedly pulled Union minister Babul Supriyo by the hair during a protest at Jadavpur University on September 19.

Ballabh was roughed up in Burdwan when he was about to board a bus to Calcutta along with a female friend on Wednesday evening.

Ballabh, a student of linguistics at Sanskrit College and University and member of the United Democratic Students’ Front, was also allegedly threatened with lynching. He claimed that the assailants told him that he was being assaulted because of his involvement in the JU fiasco.

After rescuing Ballabh, police escorted him and his friend to Calcutta.

Ballabh said that around 7.15pm on Wednesday when he was about to take the bus to Calcutta, a group of six youths dragged him from behind and started punching him.

Although his female friend was not touched, she remains in a state of shock, said Ballabh.

“When the BJP and ABVP men were beating me up, a local BJP leader named Shyamal — I am unaware of his last name — arrived. He said I was being beaten up because I am an accused in the alleged assault on Babul Supriyo. He even threatened to have me lynched. I can’t imagine that this could take place in public in the town where I was brought up,” Ballabh said.

Bengal BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu said he did not know whether the accused were affiliated to the BJP-RSS. “It (the assault) is very unfortunate. We don’t condone it or support it. Having said that, it was also unavoidable,” Basu said