Even as the students of the Aliah University today wrote to the Techno City Police demanding arrest of a “goon” named Jim Nawaz, who allegedly masterminded the attack on the VC Muhammad Ali, the state’s cabinet minister Firhad Hakim said that Nawaz is known to him since the person has remained an “adviser” to the Trinamul Congress on minority affairs during the elections.

In the series of audio clips that has gone viral, though its authenticity has not been verified by The Statesman, a former student of the university, identified as Saheb Ali, was heard telling another student, identified as Jewel Rana, that a person named Jim Nawaz is taking care of the entire operation that aims at harassing the VC so he doesn’t return to the university after his term ends. Saheb Ali could be heard saying that the task is being carried out at the instruction of the state’s minority affairs minister Ghulam Rabbani, cabinet minister Firhad Hakim and TMC’s Rajya Sabha member Nadimul Haque.

The students of university, addressing the media said they have written a letter to the Techno City Police Station, demanding the immediate arrest of Jim Nawaz, who they termed a “goon” and alleged that Nawaz, along with the rest of the people heard in the audio clips, were planning the operation for the past eight months. They demanded to know in what capacity Nawaz is associated with the university. “We want his arrest and also the arrest of the rest of the accomplices, who carried out this shameful act against the VC,” said a student. The police have so far arrested Giyasuddin Mondal, the main perpetrator in the case, who was seen in the video clip harassing the VC.

However, what seemed to have kicked up a political storm is the admittance of the cabinet minister Firhad Hakim that he knows Jim Nawaz, who, according to him, had advised Trinamul Congress on minority affairs during the election. At a time when the Aliah students have demanded that Nawaz’s identity be brought to light, Mr Hakim said, “What happened with the VC is condemnable. I came to know Jim Nawaz during the elections when he acted as an adviser on minority affairs to the party, just like many others did during the polls. I have definitely not asked anyone to carry out the atrocious act.”

The BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar has said that Giyasuddin is just the tip of the iceberg as other heavyweight TMC members are involved in this. He said he has in his possession at least seven to eight audio clips which prove his allegations. “They wanted to remove the VC since he was not allowing loot of central funds for the university while he was also acting as an obstruction in handing over a land of the university in Park Circus to a private hospital.”