TMC Leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee Attacked Amid Post-Election Violence in Bengal

Kolkata: Attacks on Trinamool Congress leaders in West Bengal have continued in the aftermath of the recent elections. Senior TMC leader and Lok Sabha Chief Whip Kalyan Banerjee was assaulted by a group on a public road, struck on the head and knocked to the ground. As he lay on the road, the mob attacked him again. Kalyan Banerjee then staged a protest by lying on the road. TMC has alleged that BJP workers were behind the attack.

The assault on Kalyan Banerjee came a day after TMC General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee was attacked while visiting the home of a party worker killed in post-election violence. A group of residents, including women, blocked Abhishek's convoy, pelted him with eggs, tore his shirt, smashed his glasses, and damaged his vehicle. His security personnel put a helmet on him and managed to escort him to the deceased worker's home, but the crowd surrounded the house and attempted to break down the door. Central forces and additional police were eventually deployed to escort him out safely. Abhishek alleged that despite informing police in advance about the visit, adequate security arrangements were not made.

Abhishek had gone to visit the family of slain worker Sanju Karmakar. Residents alleged that Karmakar was a known TMC-linked criminal and antisocial element — a charge TMC has not