Kolkata: In a second attack in two days, a mob targeted Beleghata MLA and Mamata Banerjee loyalist Kunal Ghosh on Sunday morning, pulling him out of his car by the collar and hitting his hand with a hammer, prompting his personal security officer to draw his firearm.Ghosh said the armed bike-borne attackers had plotted to kill him and accused BJP of “trying to silence him” ahead of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, scheduled for later this year. BJP, however, blamed rivalry between Trinamool factions for the attack.On Saturday afternoon, Ghosh’s car was waylaid in Uttarpara when he was on his way to Serampore to attend a rally addressed by Mamata. A mob attacked his car with bricks, stones, eggs and iron rods, shattering the windshields and window glasses.Speaking about Sunday’s incident, the MLA told reporters that a gang chased him for a kilometre while he was travelling towards Beleghata to meet civic officials and intercepted his car on a stretch between the Narkeldanga bridge and the Phoolbagan intersection. He said his Kolkata Police PSO was forced to draw his service revolver in an attempt to protect him when the mob was dragging him out by the collar.“I had seen such scenes in films… All their faces were covered, and they were carrying hammers. They tried to surround my car at the Phoolbagan crossing. As my car was vandalised yesterday (in Uttarpara), I was travelling in an acquaintance’s car. Suddenly, bricks and stones were hurled at us from behind. As we entered Narkeldanga Main Road, the bikers surrounded us again and forced us to stop. They abused me, broke the front windshield of the car and struck my hand with a hammer. Brandishing a revolver, they kept saying they would kill me,” Ghosh said.He credited his driver with saving his life by swiftly manoeuvring the vehicle to the nearby Narkeldanga police station. “They would have shot me dead. By God’s grace, I survived by entering Narkeldanga police station. I was worried not just about myself — there were four others in the car with me. I am thankful to the driver for steering us out of that dreadful situation. What kind of circumstances force a Kolkata Police officer to draw his revolver? They won’t let me live. My colleagues are not safe either,” Ghosh said.Police said they were reviewing CCTV footage to identify the attackers and recording statements of eyewitnesses. “Prima facie, based on the MLA’s complaint, the use of firearms during the attack cannot be ruled out,” said an officer. “Narkeldanga police station has registered a ‘Zero FIR’ under relevant sections of BNS and Arms Act. CCTV footage from three stretches has been secured. The case will be transferred to Beleghata police station.”State industry minister Tapas Roy condemned the attack, but denied BJP’s involvement in it. “We do not support such violence. It’s wrong to drag our party into this. The attack resulted from intra-TMC rivalries. The truth will come out after an investigation,” Roy said.Bengal BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said, “The attack is a fallout of factionalism within Trinamool. The chief minister must take action. They are staging attacks on themselves and shifting the blame onto BJP. The allegations against us are false.”
