Abhishek Banerjee, a Member of Parliament from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), was manhandled by residents of Sonarpur in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district [1, 2].
The incident highlights the volatile political climate in West Bengal, where clashes between ruling and opposition supporters frequently escalate into physical violence.
Local residents pelted Banerjee with stones, eggs, and shoes during the confrontation [1, 2]. Witnesses reported that the crowd verbally abused the politician and shouted "thief" slogans at him [1, 2]. The attack was carried out by unidentified individuals who targeted the TMC MP while he was in the area [1].
Banerjee said the incident was not a spontaneous protest by locals. He said the attack was a coordinated effort by political opponents to disrupt his activities.
"It's BJP govt-sponsored," Banerjee said [2].
He said that he intends to move to court to seek justice for the assault. The MP said that the protest was orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government as a form of political retaliation [1, 2].
Security forces in the South 24 Parganas district are monitoring the situation following the unrest. The TMC has not yet released a formal statement regarding additional security measures for Banerjee's future public appearances in the region [1].
“"It's BJP govt-sponsored"”
This incident underscores the deep polarization in West Bengal's political landscape. By framing the mob attack as a state-sponsored action by the BJP, Banerjee is positioning the event not as a localized grievance, but as a systemic effort by the opposition to intimidate TMC leadership through targeted violence.
