Man who slapped Mamata Banerjee's nephew charged with murder attempt

An FIR has been filed against 25-year-old engineering student Debasish Acharya, the man who slapped Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Youth TMC president Abhishek Banerjee.

Moreover, TV reports say that Acharya has also been charged with murder.

This development comes after Banerjee posted on Twitter that he had forgiven Acharya on a personal level. Even TMC MP Derek O’Brien, in a press conference on Monday, said, “Abhishek Banerjee has forgiven the person who slapped him.”

At a personal level I forgive the perpetrator: @abhishekaitc | http://t.co/5yEhH32pyZ pic.twitter.com/pyjMsApNba

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) January 5, 2015

On Sunday, while Abhishek Banerjee was addressing the rally, Acharya, who was taking pictures of him suddenly rushed towards him and slapped him. He was immediately pulled away and attacked by TMC members present at the spot.

Acharya was seriously injured and hospitalised. He reportedly has several fractures. He is now said to be in a critical condition after he suffered multiple head injuries.

Attending doctors at the Tamluk Hospital, where he was admitted after being thrashed by Trinamool Congress workers, said the condition of Debashis Acharya was ‘critical’.

The doctors said that Acharya, who has deep wounds in his head at three places and in other parts of the body was slipping in and out of consciousness.

The family members of Acharya were unavailable at their house in Tamluk when visiting newsmen found it bolted from outside.

Meanwhile, two persons, who were reportedly seen with Acharya at the meeting at Chandipur before he assaulted Banerjee, were detained for interrogation today, a top district police officer said.

They were identified as Tamal and Pallab from Tamluk and Contai respectively, the officer said.

A third person, who was also accompanying the three at the meeting, as stated by eyewitnesses, was also picked up for questioning, but later allowed to leave, according to PTI.

TMC secretary-general Partha Chattejee had said he had asked the district SP to inquire into the incident and submit a report immediately. Describing the act as “cowardly”, he said that an arrest had already been made.

“I have asked the SP to conduct an inquiry and submit a report to the government. I also talked to Abhishek over the phone. He told me that he had been slapped, received injury on his left eye and was physically assaulted, but he never stopped addressing the gathering,” Chatterjee said.

Derek O’ Brien had also said, “On the pretext of taking a picture he (Abhishek) was slapped. We are in the hurly-burly of politics. We will look into this and we will find out whether there is any outsider involved.”

(With inputs from PTI)