Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Member of Parliament, Abhishek Banerjee, was physically assaulted on Saturday during a visit to West Bengal's Sonarpur region, where he had gone to meet families affected by post-poll violence.

The senior leader faced a hostile crowd of alleged locals who targeted him with stones, footwear and eggs. Chaos erupted as several unidentified individuals attempted to physically strike and kick the MP while chanting "thief, thief" slogans against him.

Broadcast footage from the scene captured the intensity of the commotion, showing Banerjee being led out of the location by security personnel while wearing a helmet for protection, his shirt visibly torn from the confrontation.

"Look what they have done to me. This was pre-planned. There is no police in the area. They want to kill me. I will not leave this place till police send their force and offer protection to the victims' families," Banerjee stated during his interaction with the relatives of a deceased party worker.

A large gathering of local women, carrying bamboo shafts and broomsticks, formed outside the residence of the TMC worker where the parliamentarian was visiting. The demonstrators loudly questioned the motivation behind his arrival and voiced their anger.

"Why has he come here? The person whose house he has come to visit is also a thief. It is like a thief visiting another thief," a protesting woman said.

Another demonstrator drew parallels to other high-profile crimes, demanding accountability: "Where was he (Abhishek) when the Abhaya incident happened? How many times had he gone to meet the parents of Nirbhaya? We want an answer from him."


BJP’s reaction to public outrage

Commenting on the confrontation, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal state president Samik Bhattacharya suggested that the incident stemmed from deep-seated local resentment built up over years of alleged political intimidation.

"The BJP is not involved in such activities. What has happened is not expected in a democracy," Bhattacharya remarked to the press.

Addressing questions regarding security lapses, the BJP leader added, "I will not be able to say why police were not there; it is a matter of the administration. I am from the party. What the TMC has done to our party workers all these years cannot be described. We still remember what they did to Rupa Ganguly, to our leaders in South 24 Parganas district. Today, because we are restrained, that is why the TMC is still there."

The situation was eventually contained after a substantial contingent of Central paramilitary forces, alongside personnel from the Sonarpur police station, arrived at the location to disperse the crowd and safely escort Banerjee away from the area.


PTI