Jadavpur professor concerned about his family's security

Kolkata, April 14 (IANS) 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," Mahapatra said Saturday.

Mahapatra, who was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress workers late 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 Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) worker and circulated the cartoon at the party's behest," Mahapatra said.

Following his complaint, four people were arrested 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, 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 Mahapatra's family.

"I do not know why he was beaten up and arrested over a trivial issue. I am now very much concerned about the security of my family," said Jolly, Mahapatra's wife.

"Humour is a part of life and if I get similar mails again I will surely forward them," was the professor's reply when asked if he would repeat the act again.

The collage of cartoons allegedly forwarded by Mahapatra includes the photographs of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Railway Minister Mukul Roy and uses some dialogues of Satyajit Ray's detective masterpiece "Sonar Kella", showing the duo discussing how to get rid of party leader Dinesh Trivedi, who was forced by the chief minister to give up the railways portfolio.

The arrest has evoked widespread condemnation from all quarters.