Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra concerned about kin safety

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Assaulted and forced to spend almost a night in jail for allegedly circulating 'defamatory' cartoons targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra is now apprehensive about his own and his family’s security.

“I am still to come to terms with the assault and my subsequent arrest. Not only my family and I are apprehensive of our security, even other residents of the housing society are now scared,” Prof Mahapatra said Saturday.

Prof Mahapatra, who was attacked allegedly by Trinamul Congress workers late on Thursday
night, filed a police complaint and got the perpetrators arrested.

“In my complaint, besides mentioning about the assault on me, I have also said that I was compelled by the attackers to give a written declaration that I was a CPI(M) worker and circulated the cartoon at the party’s behest,” Prof Mahapatra said.

Following his complaint, four people were arrested on Saturday. However, within hours they were granted bail by a court as the charges levelled against them by the police were all bailable.

Reacting to the news of his assaulters getting bail, Prof Mahapatra said: “I was made to spend a night (late Thursday-early Friday) in jail and was granted bail only on Friday evening, whereas those who assaulted me were released within hours of their arrest. I have nothing to say. People are seeing everything. They will decide.”

The issue of security was echoed by Prof Mahapatra’s family.