The police on Saturday arrested four people for assaulting Jadavpore University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra.  The four men, who were reportedly form the ruling Trinamool Congress  party, got bail.

"Four people have been arrested today on Saturday following a complaint filed by professor Ambikesh Mahapatra that he was assaulted and intimidated by a group of people," Deputy Commissioner of police (south sub-urban division) Sujay Chanda told IANS.

The arrest of four persons, based on Mahapatra's complaint, comes a day after the professor was arrested for allegedly circulating defamatory cartoon online. The cartoon purportedly shed a bad light on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

After being arrested, Mahapatra was booked under various sections of IPC and cyber offences. However, he got bail later.

In his complaint, Mahapatra alleged that he had been physically assaulted by a group of 15 members, who had forced him to give a written note claiming that he was a CPM (main opposition party in west Bengal) supporter and circulated the cartoon at the behest of the his party.

The controversial cartoon-collage mocked the West Bengal chief minister's move in pressing the UPA government to oust party leader Dinesh Trivedi from Railway Minister's post.