TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was heckled and eggs thrown at him at Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas on Saturday when he was on his way to meet the family of a victim killed allegedly in the post-poll violence in the state.
The Diamond Harbour MP returned to his Kolkata residence late Saturday night after he was allegedly refused admission by two private hospitals.
TMC supremo and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who first rushed to Apollo Hospital and then to Belle Vue, where Abhishek was taken after he was roughed up by a group of men and women at Sonarpur, said, “I want to say with great sadness that I am shocked and saddened to see the behaviour of the BJP government. They are using the police administration to threaten hospitals not to admit and give treatment to Abhishek.”
“Both hospitals mentioned the seriousness of his health. He was admitted to the ITU. When I was sitting, the doctors were getting threat calls from the police and BJP leaders not to admit Abhishek. Doctors apologised and expressed sadness. We have sent him home. There, the family doctor will make arrangements,” Mamata, who is Abhishek’s aunt, told mediapersons outside Belle Vue hospital where Abhishek was kept for two hours.
On Saturday afternoon, Abhishek had gone to meet with the family of TMC worker Sanju Karmakar, who was killed in alleged post-poll violence. This was the first time Abhishek was seen in public after the TMC lost in the Assembly elections.
Ahead of his arrival, groups of men and women were seen standing with eggs in their hands at several places along the road. BJP workers were seen holding black flags and chanting “go back” slogans.
The Diamond Harbour MP, who reached Sonarpur in a four-wheeler, had to take a motorbike ride to reach Karmakar’s residence because of the narrow lanes. This was when a group of people gheraoed him and started throwing bricks, eggs, and shoes at him. Abhishek, who was seated in the middle on the bike, wore a cricket helmet to protect himself. As he and others accompanying him, including his security personnel, tried to move ahead, a group of people punched him and tore his shirt.
Undeterred, Abhishek continued to walk towards Karmakar’s home. Sources said no police personnel were seen at the spot. “It is a BJP-sponsored protest. Just look at the condition. We want to meet victims of the post-poll violence, but the police are nowhere to be seen, even after being told repeatedly,” Abhishek told mediapersons after meeting Karmakar’s family.
The TMC posted on X, “The true face of BJP’s politics stands exposed…”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the attack as “utterly reprehensible”. “An attack on a Member of Parliament is not merely an assault on one individual—it is an assault on the very people who elected him, and on the democracy that is our shared legacy,” the LoP posted on X. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The deliberate lack of adequate police protection for a prominent Opposition leader speaks volumes about the BJP’s politics of vendetta and persecution.”
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “By orchestrating a murderous attack on Abhishek Banerjee, the anarchic BJP government in Bengal has proven that the BJP is capable of nothing but hate-filled, negative, violent politics!”