A professor of Mahatma Gandhi Central University in Motihari, Bihar was thrashed by a mob, on Friday, for writing a Facebook post, which criticised the late BJP stalwart and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 

The police have arrested 12 people for beating up the professor, who was identified as Sanjay Kumar from the sociology department. 

The victim was in his room at Azad Nagar, when around 20-25 men barged in his room and attacked him. According to reports, Rahul Pandey and Aman Bihari Vajpayee led the mob.

Sanjay suffered internal injuries and was rushed to Patna Medical College and Hospital. His colleagues said that Sanjay has been fainting repeatedly since then. 

The professor said that the mod tried to lynch him as they repeatedly asked why he was talking against the Motihari university V-C and a few others.

A video also surfaced online, which showed the attackers asking Sanjay if he wanted to ‘become Kanhaiya Kumar’.

Kanhaiya Kumar is a former President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union, who was, in 2016, arrested and charged with sedition for allegedly raising anti-India slogans in a student rally.

The accused have been booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 147 & 148 rioting, 149 (unlawful assembly), 365 (kidnapping with intention of confinement) 448 (trespass), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy).

Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away at the age of 93, on Thursday, after battling prolonged illness.