Highlights:
- Mamata Banerjee claimed she was heckled by at least 4-5 men in Nandigram, where she had filed her nomination for the upcoming state election
- The state government has set up a team of five senior doctors to keep a close eye on Banerjee’s injuries and health
- BJP has called it a ‘drama to gain sympathy’
In a photo tweeted by Mamata Banerjee nephew Abhishek Banerjee this morning, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was seen in hospital with her left leg in a cast, a day after She alleged an attack in Nandigram, where she submitted her nomination for the upcoming state election.
A Trinamool Congress MP, Abhishek Banerjee, posted the picture with a message criticising the BJP, which has waged a ferocious campaign to impeach the two-time Chief Minister and her Trinamool Congress from power in Bengal.
The tweet of Abhishek Banerjee said, “BJP brace yourselves to see the power of people of BENGAL on Sunday, May 2nd. Get ready.”
.@BJP4Bengal Brace yourselves to see the power of people of BENGAL on Sunday, May 2nd.
— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) March 10, 2021
Get READY!!! pic.twitter.com/dg6bw1TxiU
Mamata Banerjee, 66, said she was pushed against her car by four or five people last evening and had the door shut in her when no police officers were present.
“See how it’s swelling up,” she said, palely referring to her legs. “Of course, it’s a conspiracy… there were no policemen around me,” she said when asked if it was a coordinated assault. When speaking, she seemed to be in pain.
She planned to spend the night in Nandigram after filing her election papers, but the incident forced her to be transferred to a hospital in Kolkata, 130 kilometres away.
Her foot, shoulder, and neck were injured, according to doctors at the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, and she was given painkillers.
According to the director of SSKM Hospital, Dr. Manimoy Bandopadhya, “Her left ankle, foot, and bruises, as well as injuries to her right shoulder, forearm, and neck, are all severely injured on initial examination. Since the incident, the Chief Minister has had chest pain and trouble breathing. For the next 48 hours, she will be under continuous observation.”
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The Chief Minister underwent a series of tests, including neurological examinations and a leg X-ray. She was taken to the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences at SSKM for an MRI late at night. Her lower limbs have been injured, according to reports, and are swollen and painful.
The BJP, which had blamed the Trinamool for the attack on its leader JP Nadda’s convoy in Bengal in December, called the incident a stunt by Bengal’s ruling party. A tweet by the Twitter handle of Bengal BJP said, “Not one eye witness seems to corroborate Mamata Banerjee’s ‘attack’ version. The people of Nandigram are furious with her for accusing them and bringing them into disrepute.”
Not one eye witness seems to corroborate Mamata Banerjee’s ‘attack’ version. People of Nandigram are upset and angry at her for blaming them and bringing disrepute.
— BJP Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) March 11, 2021
Clearly she is nervous about her prospects in Nandigram and has now lost confidence, if any, of the people too… pic.twitter.com/vBFFjbt1UF
Arjun Singh, the state BJP vice-president, said, “Is it Taliban that her convoy was attacked? Huge police force accompanies her. Who can get near her?” Mr. Singh further added, “Four IPS officers are her security in-charge and must be suspended. Attackers don’t appear out of nowhere; they have to be arrested… She did drama for sympathy.”
The attack occurred a day after the Election Commission removed Bengal Police Director General Mr. Virender, following allegations of violence made by the BJP. P Nirajnayan, an IPS officer from the 1987 batch, has been elected the new police chief.
The Election Commission has demanded a report on the attack on Bengal’s Chief Minister, who is covered by Z-Plus protection, by Friday.
The incident has escalated a tense political battle in Nandigram, which has become the epicentre of the Mamata Banerjee vs. BJP battle that is the focus of the Bengal election, which begins on March 27.
Suvendu Adhikari, a former aide to Mamata Banerjee, turned BJP rival, has challenged the Chief Minister in Nandigram.
Mr Adhikari was a Trinamool candidate who won the Nandigram seat in 2016, and his supporters have described Mamata Banerjee as an “outsider.” Defying the label, the Chief Minister has been campaigning in the area that propelled her party to power in 2011 after an anti-farmland acquisition uprising.
Bengal will hold elections in a record-breaking eight rounds over 33 days. On May 2, the results will be announced.
