Kolkata: Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday alleged that the attack on Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee’s residence was pre-planned, stating that she may move the Supreme Court over what she described as an atmosphere of “lawlessness and intimidation” in the state.
She alleged that BJP-backed miscreants, accompanied by police personnel, had targeted the house in the Kalighat area in south Kolkata in the early hours.
“At 2 am or 3 am, ‘BJP lumpens’, along with the police, are attacking people’s homes. Why are you bringing lumpen elements and attacking homes in the middle of the night,” she asked.
Appealing to people, particularly women, to speak out, the Trinamool Congress founder accused the BJP of using money and the police machinery to target political opponents.
She also alleged that police personnel blocked the lane leading to her residence and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), disrupting preparations for Kali Puja.
“Our puja is going on at home. There is work to be done, but the police are blocking the lane. This is Patuapara, where idols are made. Why are you preventing people from carrying out their activities,” she asked, alleging that the measures were politically motivated.
Warning police personnel against exceeding their authority, Banerjee said she understood the pressures on officers but would not remain silent if they acted in a partisan manner.
“I know what your capacity is and how much promotion you will get, but do not cross your limits. If you cross the limits, I will fight you,” she said.
Later in the evening, following a confrontation between police and her supporters outside Abhishek Banerjee’s residence, the former CM appealed for peace and urged party workers not to give in to provocation.
She said that if the police continued to impose restrictions and prevent supporters from gathering outside Abhishek Banerjee’s residence, she would perform Kali Puja in front of the Kalighat temple.
Banerjee claimed the BJP was surviving on “hamla and mamla” (attacks and court cases), alleging that intimidation and false cases were being used to silence political opponents.
She also alleged that police personnel had smashed the ‘shakha-pola’, bangles worn by Bengali Hindu women as symbols of their marital status, during the confrontation outside Abhishek Banerjee’s residence.
She also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise of ‘achhe din’, asking whether an attack on a three-time MP by “BJP-backed miscreants” in the middle of the night represented the promised good days.
She observed a minute’s silence in protest against what she described as police atrocities.
