Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee was slapped and punched at the public meeting.
The man who slapped Mamata Banerjee's nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee at a public meeting in East Midnapore yesterday, has been identified as Debasish Acharya, a 25-year-old engineering student at a college in Durgapur.
The 25-year-old student is the son of an electric goods supplier who lives in a rented accommodation in Tamluk in East Midnapore district with his wife and daughter.
For last three months, Debashish was staying in Contai in the house of an alleged Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS worker Tamal Pallab Biswas. Tamal Biswas and his friend Surojit have been detained by the police for questioning.
After Debasish slapped Mr Banerjee, he was beaten up by Trinamool workers and was admitted to a local hospital. He reportedly has several fractures. A CT scan is likely to be conducted today.
While being taken to hospital yesterday, he is believed to have muttered "I am khudiram's spirit. I will be reborn. Goodbye Indians." It is being speculated his reference was to Khudiram Bose, freedom fighter, who was hanged.
However, the Trinamool's Derek O'Brien said in a press statement yesterday, "Debashish Acharya (The attacker) said, "Ami Bharatbasi. Ami abar phire asbo Hindu dharmer rokkharthe." ("I am an Indian. I will come back to serve the Hindu dharma.")
This could not be independently corroborated.