Abhishek Banerjee alleges murder attempt, vows to move High Court and Supreme Court
Kolkata, May 30: Abhishek Banerjee, who had gone to meet the family of a deceased Trinamool Congress worker in Sonarpur, South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, faced protests and an alleged attack on Saturday.
Following the incident, Banerjee alleged that bricks and stones were thrown at him, and the situation was so serious that his life could have been in danger. He announced that he would approach the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court regarding the matter.
After meeting the family of the deceased Trinamool Congress worker, Sanju, the party’s national general secretary and MP, Abhishek Banerjee, said that he was attacked and the female colleagues accompanying him were also allegedly mistreated. He claimed that he had undergone several eye surgeries in the past, and that the throwing of bricks and stones at him was a very serious matter. He questioned why action was not being taken against the culprits if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had no role in the incident.
Abhishek alleged that some people were trying to harm him, but he continued with the program despite this. He also said that during the protest, some people were trying to break down the door of the house and that there was not enough police presence at the scene. According to him, despite informing local police officials, additional security forces were delayed in arriving.
The Trinamool Congress has questioned the security arrangements regarding this incident. Trinamool MLA from Beliaghata, Kunal Ghosh, called it a serious security lapse and said that the prolonged disturbance reflected administrative failure.
Meanwhile, after learning of the incident, former state ministers Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay and Chandrima Bhattacharya arrived in Sonarpur. It was reported that they were sent to assess the scene on the instructions of former Chief Minister and party chief Mamata Banerjee.
Meanwhile, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya condemned the violence and appealed to all parties for restraint. He said that the state government should answer questions related to security arrangements and police deployment. He also claimed that BJP leaders and workers have faced political violence in the past.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammad Salim said that any form of violence is unacceptable in a democracy. He stressed the need for an impartial investigation into the incident and the actual facts to emerge.
Significantly, Abhishek Banerjee had traveled to Sonarpur to meet the family of a Trinamool Congress worker killed in post-poll violence. Protests erupted during this time, which later escalated into alleged scuffles and assaults. The incident has sparked a flurry of accusations and counter-accusations in state politics.
