Kolkata: TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was roughed up Saturday, allegedly by locals, when he visited West Bengal’s Sonarpur area to meet families of post-poll violence victims, police said.
Stones, shoes and eggs were hurled at the MP by unidentified people who even attempted to rain blows and kicks on him, while they shouted ‘thief, thief’ slogans at Banerjee.
Television visuals from the spot showed Banerjee being escorted out of the area wearing a helmet, with his shirt torn during the commotion.
“Look what they have done to me. This was pre-planned. There is no police in the area. They want to kill me. I will not leave this place till police send their force and offer protection to the victims’ families,” Banerjee said while meeting the kin of a deceased post-poll violence victim.
Local women, holding broomsticks and bamboo sticks, gathered outside the house of the TMC party worker where Banerjee visited.
Questioning the purpose of his visit, they raised slogans against Banerjee.
“Why has he come here? The person whose house he has come to visit is also a thief. It is like a thief visiting another thief,” one of the protesting women alleged.
“Where was he (Abhishek) when the Nirbhaya incident happened? How many times had he gone to meet the parents of Nirbhaya? We want an answer from him,” another protesting woman questioned.
Meanwhile, BJP West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya said the incident could be the outcome of the anger of locals who were “tortured” over the years.
“The BJP is not involved in such activities. What has happened is not expected in a democracy,” Bhattacharya told reporters.
“I will not be able to say why police were not there; it is a matter of the administration. I am from the party. What the TMC has done to our party workers all these years cannot be described. We still remember what they did to Rupa Ganguly, to our leaders in South 24 Parganas district. Today, because we are restrained, that is why the TMC is still there,” he added.
Meanwhile, a large team of central forces, along with personnel from Sonarpur police station, reached the spot to bring the situation under control and escort Banerjee out, a senior police officer said.