An attack outside Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee’s residence on Harish Mukherjee Road in Kolkata left at least eight people injured after a clash between two groups, prompting the Diamond Harbour MP to demand action over what he called an attempt on his life.
Police sources cited by Telegraph India said the clash broke out between supporters who had gathered outside the residence to celebrate Banerjee’s birthday and another group that raised slogans against him. The incident took place during the night before his 39th birthday.
Banerjee remained on a dharna outside his home until the early hours of Saturday. In a post on X, he alleged that BJP supporters had attacked his house after carrying out reconnaissance for two days. He also described the incident as the seventh attempt on his life in six months and alleged that there had been no police action or judicial intervention.
The MP shared two videos with his post. One showed an unidentified man striking the gates of the residence with a bamboo stick. Another showed people carrying sticks being pushed away by police personnel. The videos and the allegations were published by Banerjee; the supplied report does not state that the claims have been independently established.
A day earlier, Banerjee had alleged that unidentified bike-borne individuals were conducting surveillance of his office and residence. He said the motorcycle registration number had been recorded and claimed that the people involved identified themselves as police personnel when confronted. He tagged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the Union home ministry, Kolkata Police and Bengal Police in a request for an inquiry into the alleged surveillance.
The incident comes amid a series of security-related episodes mentioned in the report. Banerjee’s Z-plus security cover was withdrawn after the BJP came to power in Bengal, according to the report. On May 26, stones, shoes and eggs were allegedly thrown at him while he was travelling to meet the family of a deceased Trinamool worker in Sonarpur, South 24-Parganas. In June, a man carrying a gun was apprehended outside the arrival lounge of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport shortly before Banerjee was expected to leave the terminal. Stones were allegedly thrown at the Harish Mukherjee Road residence the following month.
The house’s security equipment, including a luggage scanner, door-frame metal detector, scissor barricades and a CCTV camera output unit, had also been removed, the report said. Banerjee approached the Calcutta High Court on September 29 seeking restoration of the Z-plus cover he had received since 2015. That matter remains pending.
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh dismissed Banerjee’s claims, saying that a disturbance was likely when a political birthday celebration was held on the footpath. He questioned the allegation that anyone intended to kill the MP and accused him of misleading people. The remarks were reported as a response to Banerjee’s allegations.
Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the residence on Saturday afternoon and alleged that the attack was linked to the Trinamool Congress’s association with the Opposition INDIA bloc. She said she would approach the Supreme Court if required and also alleged that large police deployments were being used to disrupt Kali Puja celebrations at her residence. The supplied report does not mention any police announcement on arrests, a formal case or the outcome of an investigation into the clash.
