Mamata, Opposition leaders condemn attack on TMC leader in West Bengal

Abhishek Banerjee, general secretary of the recently unseated Trinamool Conrgress (TMC), was physically assaulted by members allegedly linked to the newly elected BJP in India's West Bengal state on Saturday.

No police personnel was present to respond to the assault.

India's national-level opposition leaders, including West Bengal's former chief minister Mamata Banerjee who was defeated in April's provincial polls, has strongly condemned the incident, saying BJP, which runs the state and central government, is fostering a "politics of violence."

The BJP has denied involvement in the attack.

The incident happened when Abhishek, also nephew of Mamata and an elected state assembly lawmaker, was visting a site of post-poll violence at Sonarpur village in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Abhishek was there to meet the family of Sanju Karmakar, a Trinamool worker who was killed in BJP-led post-poll violence.

Agitated people, including those holding BJP flags, threw brick chips, eggs and shoes at him as he was on his way to Sanju's house. They also punched him and tore his shirt.

Later, hospitals refused to keep Sanju on their promises under threat from the police and local BJP leaders, Mamata alleged.

Reacting to the incident, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the new ruling class in West Bengal had become the aggressor. In a post on X, she wrote: “The ruler has turned into the killer. The BJP should be ashamed.”

She also praised Abhishek for continuing with his visit despite the hostile situation, and for refusing to abandon the bereaved family of Sanju Karmakar.

The heckling incident also drew reactions from leaders of INDIA bloc. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the attack as “utterly reprehensible”. “An attack on a Member of Parliament is not merely an assault on one individual—it is an assault on the very people who elected him, and on the democracy that is our shared legacy,” the Rahul posted on X. 

Samajwadi Party president and the opposition leader in Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the alleged attack and questioned the role of the police.

In a post on X, Yadav alleged that the attack demonstrated the BJP government's reliance on “hateful, negative and violent politics”. He further questioned the absence of police personnel at such a sensitive event, claiming that it pointed towards a larger conspiracy.

Kharge also denounced the incident, describing it as a “grievous attack” on the Trinamool leader. He alleged that the failure to provide adequate security to an Opposition leader reflected a politics of vendetta and intimidation.

Kharge urged both the Central and state governments to ensure the safety of all Opposition leaders and take steps to prevent such incidents. He stressed that political differences should never translate into violence.

The BJP, however, rejected allegations linking the party to the Sonarpur incident. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said his party had no connection with what transpired during Banerjee’s visit.

“This incident is not linked to the BJP. Had the BJP wanted to retaliate for the alleged atrocities committed by the Trinamool Congress in South 24-Parganas over the past five years, Trinamool leaders would not have been able to step out of their homes. BJP workers have shown restraint,” Bhattacharya said.

While appealing for peace and restraint, he also questioned the absence of police deployment but maintained that the responsibility for law and order rested with the state government. Referring to past incidents, Bhattacharya alleged that attempts had earlier been made to attack then Leader of the Opposition and now Chef Minister Suvendu Adhikari during his visits to North Bengal.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress strongly condemned the alleged attack and praised Abhishek Banerjee for continuing with his visit despite the hostile situation. In a statement posted on the party's social media account, the TMC said Banerjee had refused to abandon the bereaved family despite facing what it described as a “brutal attack” by "BJP-backed miscreants".

The party further accused the BJP of practising politics based on fear, violence and revenge, contrasting it with what it termed Trinamool’s politics of compassion and solidarity with victims’ families.