A Jadavpur University professor awarded compensation of Rs 50,000 by the West Bengal Human Rights Commission for being arrested for emailing a cartoon allegedly derogatory of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said on Tuesday such spoofs could not be stopped by laws.

“Cartoons cannot be forcibly stopped by law despite efforts by the state government. Students and youths will never accept such action,” Mahapatra told reporters here.

The WBHRC on Monday said that the State Government must pay Rs 50,000 within six weeks to Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra and his neighbour Subrata Sengupta, for their arrest in a case which was a non-cognizable offence.

It also recommended departmental proceedings against two police officers.

Mahapatra and Sengupta were arrested on charge of emailing a spoof on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Railway Minister Mukul Roy taken from Satyajit Ray’s children’s film Sonar Kella in April.

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