Kalyan Banerjee’s attack comes a day after attack on Abhishek Banerjee
Kolkata, May 31: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Sunday alleged that he suffered head injuries after being mobbed by BJP supporters in front of a police station in West Bengal’s Hooghly district.
The incident occurred when he visited the Chanditala police station to submit a memorandum protesting the arrest of TMC workers following the assembly elections. Party supremo Mamata Banerjee visited the Serampore MP’s residence following the alleged incident, and accused the BJP of “murdering democracy”.
While the TMC MP claimed that BJP supporters were responsible for the attack, the saffron party denied the allegation and said locals were expressing their anger against TMC leaders across the state.
The TMC MP, in a post on X, said, “Just 15 metres away from Chanditala Police Station, while I was on my way to submit a deputation, BJP-backed miscreants launched a violent attack on me. A hard object was hurled directly at my head, causing head injuries and chest pain. The nature of the assault clearly suggests an attempt to inflict serious harm, if not take my life.”
“If an opposition Member of Parliament can be attacked in broad daylight, in full view of the police and so close to a police station, one must ask: where is the security for ordinary party workers and supporters?” he asked.
The incident came a day after TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly heckled by locals during his visit to Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district to meet families affected by post-poll violence.
Tension prevailed outside the Chanditala police station as a group of people waved black flags at Kalyan Banerjee and shouted “thief” at him and other members of the TMC delegation.
Kalyan Banerjee alleged that he was struck on the head during the protest and sustained an injury. He was seen holding a cloth to the back of his head.
“All this happened in front of the police,” he told reporters, blaming BJP supporters for the incident.
The Lok Sabha MP staged a brief dharna, alleging police inaction. He also asserted that the TMC would continue its protests against what he termed “BJP-sponsored attacks”.
A large police contingent and central forces were deployed in the area to prevent any further escalation.
TMC meet cancelled
A scheduled meeting of newly-elected Trinamool Congress legislators, which was supposed to be chaired by party supremo Mamata Banerjee, was called off on Sunday after nearly three-fourths of the 80 MLAs failed to turn up, party sources said.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh attributed the absence of MLAs to the “sudden and emergent ground situation” in the wake of Saturday’s attack on Abhishek Banerjee and the subsequent alleged assault Kalyan Banerjee on Sunday.
“The meeting was pre-scheduled. However, in the aftermath of the attacks on our leaders, our MLAs are organising protest programmes at the ground level, following which severe police action has been unleashed on our workers.
“The absentee MLAs, who are stuck with managing the ground situation, assisting our workers who have been arrested, had informed the legislative party of the developments and requested if the meeting could be temporarily postponed,”
Ghosh told reporters outside former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence, where the meeting was scheduled to take place.
TMC MP’s office vandalised
MC MP Bapi Haldar’s party office at Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas district was vandalised by local villagers on Sunday, alleging that flood relief materials were illegally stored there, police said.
A police officer said the situation was brought under control, and the assembled people were dispersed.
Window panes and signage at the office of Mathurapur TMC MP were broken as the mob alleged that flood relief materials were stored there and that the office was illegally built on a waterbody.
Haldar alleged that the vandalism was a result of the change of guard in the state and claimed that nothing was illegally stored in the party office.
Local TMC leaders accused the BJP of vandalising the party office, but the saffron party denied the charge, maintaining that its workers were not involved in any such incident. (PTI)
