In her complaint to the police, Saraswati Sarkar alleged she was attacked by TMC workers when she and other BJP workers were putting up banners in the Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha seat. A video of the BJP leader bleeding after a head injury has gone viral.

On Sunday night, Irani called up Sarkar to enquire about her health and asked her to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the attack. “Apnar chhobi dekhlam. Rokto berochhe. Medical hoechhe? (I saw your photograph. You were bleeding. Did you go for a medical check-up?)” asked Irani in Bengali.

In the audio call shared by the BJP, Irani can be heard saying, “Get in touch with Amit Malviya and raise the issue with the Election Commission”. Malviya is the BJP IT Cell chief and the party’s co-observer for Bengal who has also condemned the incident.

As Sarkar talked to Smriti Irani, she also urged her to protect the lives of BJP workers in West Bengal. “I had five stitches. I was bleeding a lot. The police lodged a false complaint against me saying I assaulted residents. Please help us,” Sarkar told Irani.

Later, Irani said on X, “Spoke to Saraswati Sarkar, our brave karyakarta from Kasba Mondal, physically beaten and battered by TMC gundas. If this is the brutality in South Kolkata, I shudder to think of the extremities in Sandeshkhali.”

The BJP has claimed Sarkar and three other party workers were attacked by TMC workers with a machete, and said she sustained serious injuries on her head. The saffron party also alleged that the TMC councillor of Ward Number 108 Sushant Ghosh was behind the attack on Sarkar, a charge denied by Ghosh. No one has been arrested in connection with the attack so far.

BJP’s Debasree Chaudhuri will contest against TMC leader and sitting MP Mala Roy on the Kolkata Dakshin seat where polling will be held in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on June 1.