In the small hours of a Saturday, a birthday gathering outside a Kolkata home turned into a clash, and by dawn the familiar machinery of accusation had begun to turn. Abhishek Banerjee, a Trinamool Congress parliamentarian, named his political rivals in the BJP as the source of the violence and framed it as the latest in a string of attacks he believes are meant to end his life. Police say the situation is now under control, while the claims of partisan violence, official inaction, and secret surveillance remain his own to prove, and the question of who will investigate them is still open.
Abhishek Banerjee Alleges Seventh Attack on Kolkata Home, Blames BJP Workers; Police Say Situation Is Under Control
Several Trinamool supporters were injured in clashes outside Banerjee's Kolkata residence.
The attribution rests on Banerjee and his party; police say only that order is restored.
Mark
Start with the basics. What is Banerjee actually claiming happened?
Mimi
That around 2 am BJP workers attacked his Kalighat home while his birthday was being celebrated, and that it's the seventh attempt on his life in six months.
Mark
And what did Trinamool workers describe on the ground?
Mimi
They say BJP supporters shouted "chor-chor" around 2.30 am, a clash followed, and cutouts and banners of Abhishek were vandalised. Several of their supporters were hurt.
Luke
Let me slow that down. Who confirms any of this besides Trinamool?
Mimi
Only the police, and only on one point: they say the situation is under control. They haven't been quoted confirming who the attackers were.
Luke
So "BJP workers" is an allegation, not an established fact.
Mimi
Correct. The same goes for "seventh attempt on his life." That count is his, and the report doesn't list the other six.
Mark
What about the surveillance claim from Friday?
Mimi
He says unidentified people surveilled his office and home for days and claimed to be police when confronted. He wants Speaker Om Birla and the Home Ministry to find out who they were.
Luke
Which is still unanswered. We don't know if they were police, and we don't know the number injured or how seriously.
Mark
And the May incident?
Mimi
Eggs and stones in Sonarpur, which Trinamool called a pre-planned attempt to kill him. That label is also the party's.
O Pulso
- A birthday celebration outside Abhishek Banerjee's Kalighat home erupted into clashes around 2 am, with chants and vandalised banners leaving several Trinamool supporters hurt.
- Banerjee calls it the seventh attempt on his life in six months, and he accuses police and the courts of standing by while hooligans run riot.
- The night before, he alleged that unidentified people claiming to be police had been surveilling his office and residence for days, a claim he tied directly to the attack.
- He has asked Speaker Om Birla and the Union Home Ministry for an immediate inquiry, while police insist the area is calm and no response to his inaction charges has been reported.
- Every allegation of attribution and intent still rests on Banerjee and his party, and the response from Delhi is the next thing to watch.
In the small hours of a Saturday, a birthday gathering outside a Kolkata home turned into a clash, and by dawn the familiar machinery of accusation had begun to turn. Abhishek Banerjee, a Trinamool Congress parliamentarian, named his political rivals in the BJP as the source of the violence and framed it as the latest in a string of attacks he believes are meant to end his life. Police say the situation is now under control, while the claims of partisan violence, official inaction, and secret surveillance remain his own to prove, and the question of who will investigate them is still open.
Around 2 am on Saturday, a clash broke out outside the Kalighat residence of Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member from Diamond Harbour, while his birthday was being celebrated. According to Trinamool workers, BJP supporters began shouting "chor-chor" slogans around 2.30 am, cutouts and banners of Banerjee were vandalised, and several party supporters were injured. The number and severity of injuries have not been reported.
Banerjee came outside and stayed there from 2.45 am until 6 am, returning indoors only at the police's request after a detained Trinamool worker was released. By morning he was posting videos on X, blaming BJP workers and accusing the police, the administration, and the courts of silence while what he called hooligans ran riot in the state.
He places the attack within a longer pattern. In May, he was pelted with eggs and stones during a visit to Sonarpur, which his party described as a pre-planned attempt on his life. The night before this clash, he had also alleged that unidentified people claiming to be police had been surveilling his office and home for days, and he asked Speaker Om Birla and the Union Home Ministry to order a thorough inquiry.
Police say the situation is now under control. Nothing in the report confirms arrests on the opposing side or a response to his allegations, and the attribution, the attempted-murder framing, and the surveillance claim all rest on Banerjee and his party. What comes next is whether Delhi takes up his request.
Around 2 am on Saturday, outside the Kalighat residence of Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata, a clash broke out while his birthday was being celebrated. By morning, Banerjee was posting videos on X and calling it the seventh attempt on his life in six months.
Banerjee, the Lok Sabha member from Diamond Harbour, blamed workers and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the ruling party in the state. He said the police and the administration had failed to act. He also directed anger at the courts, saying the judiciary was staying silent while the violence unfolded.
"If this is what can happen to an elected Member of Parliament, imagine the plight of the common man in WB," he wrote. He said there had been no police action and no judicial intervention, and that hooligans were running riot across the state.
The account from Trinamool workers is more specific about how the night unfolded. They say BJP supporters raised "chor-chor" slogans at about 2.30 am, which led to a clash. Cutouts and banners of Banerjee were then vandalised. Several Trinamool supporters were injured. The source does not say how many, nor how badly.
After the clashes, Banerjee came downstairs and went outside, where he remained from 2.45 am until 6 am. He went back indoors at the request of the police, after a Trinamool worker who had been detained was released. Police have said the situation is now under control. Nothing in the report indicates that any arrests were made on the other side, or that police have responded to Banerjee's allegations of inaction.
Banerjee presents this as part of a pattern. In May, during a visit to Sonarpur, he was attacked with eggs and stones. Trinamool called that a pre-planned attempt to kill him. Since then he has repeatedly accused the BJP-led state government of plotting such attacks.
The night before, on Friday, he made a separate allegation: that the West Bengal Police were spying on his office and residence. He said unidentified individuals had been carrying out reconnaissance there for several days, and that when confronted they said they were police personnel. He asked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the Union Home Ministry to take cognisance and order an immediate, thorough inquiry into who these people were.
He tied the two episodes together. "After I released the recce video this morning, my house was attacked just now, at 2 AM by BJP goons, right under the watch of the Kolkata police," he said, adding a sarcastic thanks to the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court for being "mute spectators."
What is established is limited: a clash occurred, supporters were hurt, and police say order has been restored. The attribution to the BJP, the characterisation as an attempt on his life, and the surveillance claim all rest on Banerjee and his party. Whether the Speaker or the Home Ministry responds to his request is the next thing to watch.
Citações Notáveis
This is the seventh attempt on my life in the last six months. Yet, there has been no police action and no judicial intervention.— Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool MP
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em India TV News ↗
Media & Entertainment