A day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee was heckled in South 24 Parganas district’s Sonarpur, another party MP, Kalyan Banerjee, was allegedly attacked in West Bengal’s Hooghly district when he arrived to submit a memorandum against the arrest of party workers after the assembly elections.
The incident came a day after Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly manhandled by several people during his visit to Sonarpur to meet families affected by post-poll violence.
TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee ‘attacked’ near Kolkata
Tension gripped the area outside Chanditala Police Station as a group of people waved black flags at Kalyan Banerjee, the Sreerampore MP from Hooghly district, and shouted “thief” at him and other members of the TMC delegation.
The MP claimed he was hit on the head during the protest and suffered an injury. He was seen holding a cloth against the back of his head.
He alleged that BJP supporters were behind the attack. “All this happened in front of the police. I was hit on my head, and I am bleeding,” he told reporters, blaming supporters of the ruling party for the attack.
The Lok Sabha MP then staged a dharna, accusing the police of failing to act. He also said the TMC would continue its protests against what he described as “BJP-sponsored attacks”.
A heavy deployment of police personnel and central forces was made in the area to prevent the situation from worsening. Rejecting the allegations, the BJP claimed that people across the state were expressing their anger against TMC leaders.
Attack on ‘Bhaipo’
Abhishek suffered minor injuries on Saturday after stones and eggs were allegedly thrown at him in Sonarpur, where he had gone to meet families affected by post-poll violence.
Police registered a suo motu case following the incident, which the TMC described as an attempt to murder the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha MP. During overnight raids, police arrested five people and detained two others in connection with the case.
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said: “Now people are being denied treatment. Hospitals are under threat… He will undergo treatment at home… If he didn’t wear helmet…. he would have died on the spot.”
She also announced that she would take to the streets from June 2 and lead a rally in central Kolkata.
With inputs from agencies
