New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee faced a violent attack during a visit to West Bengal's Sonarpur South on Saturday. His convoy was pelted with stones, and eggs were hurled at it as he traveled to meet families affected by post-poll violence.
Details of the Attack
According to police reports, stones and eggs were thrown at Banerjee's convoy while he was passing through South 24 Parganas. The TMC leader had planned to meet the family of slain party worker Sanju Karmakar and other families who, according to the party, were targeted after the assembly election results.
Banerjee Accuses BJP
Reacting to the incident, Banerjee directly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating the attack. "It's all BJP-sponsored. Look what they have done. This is their example of democracy. It hasn't even been a month, and the police are nowhere to be seen," he told reporters.
This visit marked Banerjee's first major public appearance since the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections 26 days ago. He was also scheduled to visit families of other party workers allegedly affected by post-poll violence in Sonarpur South and Beleghata.
Political Tensions Escalate
The outreach came amid mounting political tensions, just a day after the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) served Banerjee a notice. The notice directed him to appear before investigators at Bhabani Bhawan, the agency's headquarters in Kolkata, at noon on June 1.
Banerjee has accused multiple agencies of being used to target him. He has maintained that he will cooperate with the investigation while continuing his political activities.
CID Summons Details
The summons relates to a CID probe into the alleged use of forged signatures of Trinamool Congress legislators. These signatures were reportedly used in a communication submitted to the West Bengal Assembly Secretariat, supporting senior TMC leader Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the post of Leader of the Opposition.
Speaking after receiving the notice, Banerjee said, "I am yet to see the content of the notice. I will consult with my lawyers and make an appropriate response. I will surely cooperate with the probe in whatever manner possible."
He further added, "Let them do whatever they want. They can do whatever they want. Understand it this way, earlier it was just ED, CBI and now it is Bengal Police and Kolkata Police too, along with KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation). There were 2-3 investigation agencies earlier and now it is 5. They think they will send 5-6 agencies after me and blackmail me into cowering down. I am not a person like that."
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