TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee was attacked during his visit to West Bengal’s Sonarpur on Saturday, where he had gone to meet families of victims of post-poll violence.
During the visit, eggs and stones were pelted at Banerjee, while BJP workers allegedly raised ‘chor chor’ slogans against him. The security personnel escorted the TMC leader with a helmet amid the attack.
Following the incident, Abhishek Banerjee was admitted to Kolkata’s Apollo Hospital for treatment. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee later arrived at the hospital to meet him while he was undergoing treatment.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reacted strongly to the incident. In a post on
The TMC alleged that Banerjee was attacked and assaulted by BJP workers during her visit. Footage from the scene showed security personnel surrounding and escorting him as tensions rose in the area.
Describing the attack, Banerjee said: “They threw a brick, threw an egg and threw stones. Please tell me what this is. And all the people who are nearby, the people of the area, still welcome us and greet us with love and respect. Go and ask those who are doing vandalism here. We have all the video evidence. There is a community hall nearby. From 11 am onwards, the goons stayed in that community hall to throw stones.”
Speaking to the media after the incident, Banerjee alleged that the attack was sponsored by the BJP. “Everything is sponsored by the BJP. Look what they have done. This is their example of democracy. Not even a month has passed and the police are nowhere to be seen,” he said.
Banerjee further claimed that the attackers intended to kill him and said that the entire incident had been captured on camera. “They wanted to kill me. The entire incident has been captured on camera. We will definitely inform the High Court about this. We will also inform the Governor about this. I will definitely go to court,” he said.
Claiming that she narrowly escaped serious injury, Banerjee said, “My head was saved somehow; fortunately, I was wearing a helmet. My clothes were torn and my glasses were broken.”
The TMC MP also alleged the absence of police personnel at the scene. “There is no police presence in the area. They want to kill us. Let them do it. My body can be recovered from here, but I will not leave the area,” he said.
Banerjee said she would not leave until proper security measures were taken. “I will not leave here until the police and forces ensure security here. They are trying to raid the house and want to kill me,” he said.
Later, police personnel and central forces reached the spot and rescued Banerjee amid the tense situation.
Referring to the family she had come to meet, Banerjee added: “I will not abandon Sanju’s elderly parents in this condition until additional forces arrive. I will once again ask our representatives to contact the police.”
Claiming that her party had informed the authorities about the visit in advance, Banerjee said, “We sent a mail to the police and informed them about our visit. We called the police, but the police did not pick up the call.”
Reacting to the incident, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien alleged that Banerjee’s life was at risk and questioned the security measures.
In a post on
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned the attack on Banerjee. In a post on He alleged that the “deliberate lack of adequate police protection for a prominent opposition leader speaks volumes about the BJP’s politics of revenge and persecution”.
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