Ambikesh Mahapatra, the Jadavpur University professor arrested in April 2012 for forwarding a cartoon satirising former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of engineering a coordinated 'fear psychosis' involving the police, lower courts, and the ruling establishment. Speaking publicly about his decade-long legal ordeal, Mahapatra alleged that his case was a deliberate attempt to crush dissent and that every move against him was made under Banerjee's direct instructions.

The Cartoon That Triggered an Arrest

Mahapatra was detained after he forwarded an email to a housing society web group containing a cartoon sequence that parodied Satyajit Ray's celebrated film Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress). The cartoon satirised Banerjee's decision to replace party colleague Dinesh Trivedi with Mukul Roy as India's Railway Minister. The TMC government booked him under the now-defunct Section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act — which criminalised sending 'offensive' messages online — along with several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

What Mahapatra Alleged

'In this case, the hooliganism of the ruling TMC party was combined with the police administration and the lower criminal court; they were all working together... The TMC, Police, and Administration were jointly orchestrating a 'fear psychosis'... Everything was happening under the instructions of Mamata Banerjee,' Mahapatra said.

He further alleged that the episode reflected a broader assault on constitutional freedoms. 'This indicates that it was a conspiracy from the supremo of the ruling party. A conspiracy was going on to attack freedom of speech, to attack the free human rights constituted by the Indian Constitution,' he said.

Section 66A Struck Down, But Case Dragged On

The Supreme Court of India subsequently struck down Section 66A of the IT Act as unconstitutional, directing that all pending cases under the provision be closed. Despite this landmark ruling, Mahapatra's case reportedly continued for years. It was only in January 2023 — more than 11 years after his arrest — that an Alipore District Court in Kolkata acquitted him of all charges.

'The final verdict stated that Section 66A of the IT Act is unconstitutional and deleted from the Indian law book henceforth... According to this, our case should also have been closed, but it was not until 2023,' Mahapatra said.

A Pattern of Suppression, He Claims

Mahapatra alleged that his case was not an isolated incident, pointing to what he described as a pattern of similar arrests during TMC's tenure. 'In these 15 years, this kind of work has been done extensively. You might know about Shiladitya Chowdhury, a farmer from the West Midnapore district. Mamata Banerjee had him arrested too, and a criminal case against him is still going on today. He was arrested in August 2012. Then a student, Tanya Bhardwaj of Presidency College, was arrested,' he said.

He also accused Banerjee of running both her party and the state administration in an authoritarian manner, alleging there had been no internal democracy within the TMC since its founding in 1998. 'In her political party since 1998, she has always been the president of the party. There is no democracy. In her party, she is the autocrat,' Mahapatra claimed.

Post-Election Mood and What Comes Next

Mahapatra's remarks come in the wake of West Bengal Assembly elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a decisive majority, defeating the Banerjee-led TMC. Reflecting on the political shift, Mahapatra said, 'After Mamata Banerjee's rule ended, we are feeling some peace of mind. This is a very positive signal and brings peace of mind.' The acquittal and the changed political landscape have renewed scrutiny of how Section 66A was used against critics during TMC's years in power. Legal observers note that Mahapatra's case stands as one of the most cited examples of the provision's misuse.