Abhirup Paul was sent to police custody till Aug 10

Mumbai: Hours after the anticipatory bail applications of two former students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) were rejected in a case stemming from an unauthorised campus event to pay homage to the late Delhi University professor G N Saibaba last year, who was acquitted in a UAPA case, one of them—Abhirup Paul (32)—was arrested on Friday.He was produced before a court on Saturday and sent to police custody till Monday, said a police officer.The other former student who was denied relief, Kamakhya Das (23), was not arrested till Sunday night.A sessions court denied the two relief after police claimed to have found material on their devices suggesting Maoist ideological influence, non-cooperation and the need for custodial interrogation. Paul was particularly accused of downloading “books reportedly instigating the division of India” and going to places as part of “field work”, and Das of threatening a cop.Paul, originally from West Bengal, did his master’s in disaster management from TISS and was working in Mumbai. Das, who is from Assam, completed his PG in development studies. Both graduated from the institute this May and were awaiting their degrees, said students. The convocation, set to be held on Aug 2, was abruptly postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances” and later rescheduled to Aug 22.A student said the case had been dormant for the last eight months—the case was transferred to the crime br­a­nch and the presiding judge’s transfer necessitated a rehearing—and Paul and Das had completed their studies and moved out of the campus. Very few were in touch with them, said the student.After the arrest, a TISS spokesperson said, “We have taken note of the matter. At this stage, it would not be appropriate for us to comment on individual cases or share any specific details. We are verifying the relevant records and will provide an appropriate response once the details have been reviewed.”An FIR was filed against nine students based on a complaint by TISS that an unauthorised event was he­ld on the campus on Oct 12, 2025, to commemorate the first dea­th anniversary of Saibaba, who had spent nearly a decade in a Nagpur jail after being accused of links with Maoists. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges in March 2024 before his death that year.Seven of the students were granted anticipatory bail last Friday after the cou­rt found that the allegations against them were largely confined to partic­ipation at the event.The court, however, had noted that the students’ conduct was not limited to paying homage and that they had also allegedly raised slogans seeking the release of former student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who are facing trial under UAPA.